Rights commission condemns bottlenecks in obtaining justice.

In a statement issued in prelude to the celebration of International Women’s Day on March 8, Prof Moungue Kobila warned that violence based on gender is still prevalent in Cameroon, and exacerbated by difficulties victims face in obtaining swift justice.

While acknowledging progress made in Cameroon in promoting gender equality, the institution called on public authorities to strengthen mechanisms for protecting women and girls. 

He stressed that such action would be in line with the theme adopted by the United Nations for the 2026 International Women’s Day: “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls”.

He called for greater commitment to the protection and promotion of women´s rights. The Commission stressed that trivialising or boycotting the global celebration would reduce the visibility of the fight against discrimination and the persistent inequalities between men and women, not only in Cameroon, but across the world.

According to the Commission, the International Women’s Day offers a strategic platform to highlight ongoing challenges related to equality, including Gender-based Violence, social discrimination, and barriers to equitable access to economic resources, and decision-making positions that eclipse the woman.

The institution warned that the absence of concrete actions in these areas could slow social, economic and democratic progress.

The Commission recalled that the protection of women’s rights is embedded in Cameroon´s constitutional framework. 

As the preamble of the Constitution of January 18, 1996, affirms that all citizens possess inalienable rights without distinction of sex and that the nation protects women, thereby reinforcing the principle of equality between men and women.

At the continental level, the Commission also referred to the jurisprudence of the African Court on Human and People´s Rights, particularly the ruling delivered on May 11, 2018 in the case between the Association for the Progress and Defence of Malian Women´s Rights and the Republic of Mali.

With the Commission unveiling that the landmark decision strengthened legal protection for women in Africa, in areas such as minimum age for marriage, consent as to who a girl or woman should get married to, inheritance rights and the elimination of harmful traditional practices against women and girls.

Th commission expressed concern about what it says is the under representation of women in public decision-making bodies in the country. Citing statistics which show that women account for only 16% of government members; 26% of senators; nearly 24% of municipal councilors; and less than 23% of regional councilors.

The article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3729 of Thursday March 12, 2026