Cameroonian Minister Reveals 67 Women Lost to Recurring Femicide Since January 2024

Marie-Theresa Ondoa, the Cameroonian Minister for the Promotion of Women and the Family, said 67 femicide cases had been recorded in Cameroon since the beginning of this year.

Ondoa said this during the International Day for the Fight Against Violence Against Women and Girls celebration. She revealed that 39 per cent of women in the country were subjected to physical, psychological, social, and cultural violence based on their gender, suggesting that often, this violence is inflicted by men and results in deaths.

Corroborating the minister, Kah Walla, the leader of the Cameroon Peoples Party (CPP), accused the administration of President Paul Biya of handling cases involving violence against women with lethargy. In a statement, the women’s rights activist condemned the “condescending and contemptuous attitude of senior government officials, including the President of the Republic, who organise festivities while citizens are assassinated, without sending a word of condolence to victims and their families nor Cameroonians traumatised by the rising insecurity.”

Walla noted that the total absence of psychosocial support to victims has traumatised neighbourhoods, directly affecting rape survivors or victims of attempted murder. She called on the government to put in place a direct emergency telephone line for women in danger to obtain immediate assistance.

The politician called for the establishment of a centre fighting violence against women in the 360 municipalities in the country. She also advocated for the training of all police operatives and the creation of special police units charged with fighting femicide.

The Cameroon government has now set up a hotline through which women who feel in danger can call for assistance. The National Commission for Human Rights also has an emergency line for the same purpose.

Around 140 women and girls globally die daily at the hands of their partner or close relative — tentatively implying that one woman or girl is likely killed every 10 minutes — according to a United Nations report.

The report estimated that, in 2023 alone, 85,000 women and girls fell victim to femicide around the world. It noted that 60 per cent (51,000) of them were killed by intimate family members, including fathers, husbands, brothers, and uncles.

Africa seems to have shared the larger portion of the disturbing figures, with 21,700 women and girls losing their lives across the continent.