Douala: REDHAC awards women for actively defending human rights.

It was within the framework of celebrations marking the International Day of Women Defenders of Human Rights and was attended by lawyers, human rights defenders and authorities in the Littoral Region.

Observed annually on November 29, the International Women Human Rights Defenders Day, is a day set aside to recognise and honour the bravery and dedication of women who work tirelessly to defend the rights of young girls and women, and advocate gender equality and sexual rights.

This year, a report titled: "Situation of Young Girls and Women Human Rights Defenders in Central Africa: Between Constrained Silence, Resilience, and Courage", was presented on November 27 by REDHAC. 

The report sheds light on the challenges faced by young girls and women human rights defenders in Central Africa, including discrimination, violence, and harassment.

It presents statistics on a representative graph of 40 cases of human rights violations against girls and women human right defenders in Chad and Cameroon, between November 2023 and November 2024. According to the statistics, there has been over 35 cases, with Cameroon taking the lead. 

Physical violence, for instance, has been recorded as high in Cameroon, standing at 36 cases, as compared to Chad which stands at 25. 

Meanwhile, psychological violence is high in Chad, standing at 37, with Cameroon standing at approximately 14. 

Sexual violence cases, on the contrary, is low in Cameroon counting 14 cases and Chad counting 25 cases. Sexist violence stands at 13 cases in Chad, and seven cases in Cameroon, amongst others.

According to REDHAC, despite these daunting challenges, rights defenders continue to advocate their rights and the rights of others. REDHAC said the defenders’ commitment to justice and equality is a proof to their courage and resilience, and it was high time they were recognised.

To celebrate their bravery, 10 women referred to as "women of courage" from the Central African Sub-region, received certificates in recognition of their dedication to defending human rights. 

The Co-President of the REDHAC's Administrative Council, Barrister Alice Nkom, speaking about the persistent issue of human rights violations, said: “You cannot solve a problem without knowing its cause. And what are they? Corruption, poverty, immobility”.

“We must face the problem, know what are the causes and work together to fix them, because women cannot move forward without the men, and all of us can't move towards the same direction without our politicians,” she added. 

Population urged to join fight against rights violations

As the women activists celebrated their recognitions they called on others to join the noble course of fighting against human rights violations, as more voices were raised to call to an end to the violence against the female human rights activists who defend the rights of their fellow girls and women. 

Speaking to The Guardian Post on what women should do when faced with a case of human right violations, Sarah-Derval Lifanda, CEO of Hope of Africa, a non-profit organisation advocating the respect of human rights, stressed that “women should learn to speak out, especially the women who are human rights activists since they also are targets due to the fact that they are exposing the violations”.

“That not withstanding, we are also seizing this opportunity to ask for policies which protect women defenders of human rights because if they're not protected, a lot of denunciations will not be made, and a way forward will not be achieved,” she added.

This story was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3309 of Tuesday December 03, 2024