HRW regrets weak institutional support leaving women trapped in violence.

The organisation made the statement in a report released recently. In the report, the global organisation said violence against women in Cameroon extends far beyond physical abuse, threats, and femicides. 

According to the HRW report, women live in permanent insecurity, discrimination, lack of economic autonomy, and violence. The organisation revealed the report was established based on interviews conducted between September and December 2024 with 60 women in Douala, Buea, and Maroua. 

The organisation argues that violence against women in Cameroon is not only the result of individual acts of abuse but is also reinforced by a legal, social, and institutional environment that deprives many women of the financial and legal means to protect themselves or rebuild their lives. 

Citing economic dependence at the center of the problem, it said it plays a critical role in keeping women in violent relationships. Human Rights Watch said it has documented cases in which women said their income was confiscated, their businesses undermined, their property sold without their consent, or their access to employment deliberately restricted by their spouses. 

According to the organisation, control over money, housing, and property can be just as powerful as physical violence. It disclosed that many of the women interviewed said they remained in abusive relationships not because they wanted to, but because they lacked an independent income, secure housing, or the financial means to leave with their children. 

The report argues that economic dependence is not simply a consequence of abuse, but it is one of the mechanisms that enables it.

Stressing on laws that reinforce gender inequality, HRW pointed to the country’s legal framework, noting that delays in adopting a new Family Code have left in place provisions that continue to give husbands greater authority within marriage, including over household management and marital property.

The report also added that the legal provisions limit women's ability to make independent decisions about where they live, whether they work, and how family assets are managed. 

Human Rights Watch cited weak institutional response, stating that several women interviewed said they were discouraged from filing complaints. The organisation said some women described support systems that were so limited or fragmented that they eventually abandoned their efforts. 

The organisation stated that inadequate resources, insufficient training, weak coordination, and limited institutional commitment have left police, courts, and social services unable to provide effective protection or hold perpetrators fully accountable. 

The report also highlighted cases of daughters excluded from inheritance, widows stripped of land or property, and women denied access to family assets despite legal rights that should protect them, revealing that the practices go beyond inheritance disputes.

The group stated that the practices contribute to long-term economic insecurity, making women more vulnerable to violence, poverty, and continued dependence. 

The organisation noted that Cameroon committed in 2011 to significantly reducing gender-based violence, and fifteen years later, that progress has fallen short of those commitments. 

It pointed to the absence of a dedicated national policy on domestic violence, delays in adopting a revised Family Code, and limited access to protection services across the country. 

Human Rights Watch also noted that reducing violence against women will require more than responding to the most visible cases, stating that lasting progress depends on tackling the underlying factors that keep women trapped in abusive situations.

According to the organisation, the issue is not simply that women experience violence but that there is a lack of the financial resources, legal protections, and institutional support needed to escape it. 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3833 of Tuesday June 30, 2026