Limbe market women stand up against administrative excesses

By NwoFuanya in Limbe

Limbe market women

Against all expectations and to the chagrin of government officials, women in Limbe, Fako division of the south west region have stood u against what they term excesses of the Fako administration in the fight against Boko Haram. This was during a one day campaign to end administrative detention and torture that took place on Wednesday 2 December 2015.

                The campaign that brought together women from different background, especially market women popularly called buy’amsellam’ as well as men who sympathize with women when it comes to issues of rights was organized as part of the annual 16 days to of activism to end violence against women. This year some civil society organizations in Limnbe notably the Community Initiative For Development Communication, CODEC, the Association for the Protection of Women and Children’s Rights, Pro-People and other organization s came together to campaign against what they call the excessive abuse of authority by the administration and the abuse of women’s rights.

                One of the organizers, George AbangTawoh of APWCR told reporters that the decision by the Fako administration to control people and their goods and limit movements has led to a large scale manipulation of the law at the expense of women who have been tortured, abused and detained for no just cause. For this reason, women especially Nigerians who do not have residence permits in the fishing localities of the West Coast District of Idenau and the East Coast subdivision of Bimbia have been routinely tortured and detained.

                The Director of CODEC for his part added that the Cameroonian society is so loving and  forgiving of  men who traffics girls, rapes women ;the  same society ,he regretted passionately shuns, investigates and  despises an adult woman they merely suspect  does not fit into all the stereotypes of how a woman is supposed to be and look.

                Upon this background, he continued there are many more fundamental women’s rights that are violated on a daily basis and which our cultural practices and customs and even the laws of the state passively allow to go unpunished. The campaign saw many women coming out in their numbers to carry placards in a densely populated poor neighbourhood of Limbe. Market women, popularly called buy’amsellam’ passionately took turns to carry one or more placards to draw public consciousness to some of the very pressing women rights issues in our society today.

                One of the main concerns the women raised was that they were not informed well ahead of time to prepare themselves well to even march on the streets. Some women who also said they belong to a widows association used the occasion to plead with the organizers to work with them to resolve some of the pressing widowhood challenges they go through on a daily basis.

                Responding to some of these worries, the Director of CODEC said due to the limited means available everything could not be done on the same day. He used the opportunity to appreciate the Urgent Action Fund for Women, UAF- Africa for providing the means with which the action was taken.

                On the issue of the street march, he said there was also a need to preserve public peace and avoid unnecessary violent confrontations with the forces of law and order who are now on the alert especially on the issue of the day. They however promised to redouble efforts and come back to address some of the key worries that have been identified during the campaign.