When spiking rape cases prick gov’t.

It was in a press conference hosted by the Minister of Communication and Government Spokesman, Emannuel Rene Sadi on Monday.

The institutions represented were: the Ministry of Women's Empowerment and the Family, Ministry of Social Affairs, Ministry of Public Health, Ministry of Justice, Directorate General of National Security, and the State Security Directorate.

The unprecedented number of institutions at the briefing graphically illustrates the seriousness of the escalating trend of the crimes, in which mostly children and women have been the victims.

Alarming information from the press conference divulged that 50 women were murdered in 2023; 67 in 2024 and 77 in 2025.

In the first months of this year, according to Minister Sadi, the trend is not reversing, with recent devastating rape and murder of an 11-year-old child in the Nkoabang neighbourhood of Yaounde.

Not all perpetrators go scotch free. In the case of the murdered little Mathys, in November 2025, the killer was sentenced to death by the justice system.

What is troubling that emerged from the briefing is that in the majority of cases, the perpetrators of the crimes are people close to the victim; such as spouse, relative, neighbour, or family member, often not a stranger who appears out of the blues.

Beyond the physical assault is the psychological damage. The Cameroonian Society of Paediatrics, known by its French acronym, SOCAPED, in a statement issued by its President, Prof David Chelo, on “the resurgence of child abductions, sexual violence, and media exposure of children in Cameroon”, also highlighted the degree of violence.

With profound dismay and deep concern, he pointed out the “alarming increase in cases of child abduction, too often accompanied by barbaric sexual violence, throughout the country”.

As child health professionals, he said they “cannot remain silent in the face of these criminal acts that shatter lives”.

Beyond the immediate physical injuries, the “violence inflicts profound psychological trauma on young victims, severely impairing their long-term development”.

Prof Chelo strongly condemned the “current media and digital trend, characterised by the massive and uncontrolled dissemination on social media of photos, identities, and intimate details of child victims”.

“This public exposure constitutes a second assault, deeply traumatic for the child and their family. It violates the child's right to dignity, medical confidentiality, and privacy, while seriously jeopardising their psychological recovery and social reintegration. The internet forgets nothing: exposing these children today condemns them to lifelong stigmatisation,” he expressed concern.

To stem the devastating and pervasive trend, officials at the press conference explained that temporary protection facilities are being progressively deployed in police stations and gendarmerie brigades.

A helpline for children in distress has been set up. Training is being provided for magistrates, lawyers, and law enforcement officers.

The Guardian Post is aware that Cameroon has ratified several international legal instruments on child rights, including the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.It has also adopted domestic measures, such as the Child Online Protection Charter, designed to secure cyberspace and sanction harmful content.

United Nations Children Fund, UNICEF, also supports Cameroon's efforts to create an environment that protects the rights of children, by strengthening legal and policy frameworks and national institutions, implementing prevention mechanisms at the community level.

The UN organisation also helps Yaounde to “expand the response to detect, prevent, respond to and address all child protection issues affecting children in Cameroon, including harmful practices, violence against children, exploitation, migration, and the specific protection needs of children in both development and humanitarian contexts”. 

Yet, despite the safeguards, cases of crimes against women and children continue to soar.There is no doubt that the government has done much to protect violence against women and girls, often referred to as the “weaker sex”.

While it needs to do more by protecting and ensuring that the crime rate is drastically reduced, peace-loving citizens also have the duty and responsibility to protect themselves and especially the girl child.

In that regard, The Guardian Post challenges the government to do more by strengthening security and applying swift and deterrent penalties against perpetrators of the crimes.

As for the bloggers and social media warriors, they should understand that publishing and sharing pictures and identities of victims is an offence.

The Guardian Post also shares with the recommendations of SOCAPED that parents should “avoid letting children go out alone, teach them to refuse to follow strangers, stop minors from street hawking, especially in the night and foster open communication so they immediately report any suspicious behaviour and not shared on social media”. 

Government Spokesman, Emmanuel Rene Sadi, emphasised that “the fight we must wage is a collective endeavour.” 

It is a commendable confession that the government alone cannot stop the escalating sexual violence and other crimes. 

The media, civil society, traditional authorities, and religious denominations all have been explicitly called upon to play their part.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3806 of Wednesday June 03, 2026