High Commission Projects To Help Vulnerable Groups

The High Commission has announced sponsorship of grassroots projects to protect the rights of vulnerable people in Cameroon. The two projects aim to protect the rights of widows and children and will be worth over CFA 20 million.

According to reports, in many parts of Cameroon women suffer from customary practices inflicted at the death of their husbands. These practices can involve physical torture and exclusion from economic activity.

Giles Montagnon, Second Secretary at the High Commission and Dr Chemuta Divine Banda, Chairman of the National Commission for Human Rights and Freedoms (NCHRF) finalised an agreement on Tuesday 21 October to deliver training for 50 civil society organisations on protection of women’s rights.

The project will involve the Association of Traditional Chiefs and 20 villages in the Northwest Province to raise awareness of the rights of widows while respecting traditional cultures.

The NCHRF and the High Commission expect the project to lead to a declaration from Traditional Chiefs affirming the rights of widows. If successful, it will be rolled out to four other provinces where these practices are most widespread.

The High Commission also announced support this month for a project to create a child protection unit in Bamenda. Led by Laura Anyola, a UK Chevening Fellow, the project will improve compliance with new laws prohibiting child trafficking.

It is planned that the unit will develop into a larger Community Law Centre under a project being developed by the Justice and Peace Commission and other partners including the Open Law Centre in Glasgow, UK.

Announcing the projects, Gillian Edwards, Charge d’Affaires, said that they were part of the High Commission’s long-standing commitment to supporting Human Rights in Cameroon. ‘This is grassroots work which should make a positive impact on local communities’, she said.