CSOs Trained on Defending Female Human Rights Defenders in Conflict Zones

By Boris Esono  in Buea

Participants at the end of a one day workshop in Buea on training female human rights defender in conflict zones

With the present socio-political upheavals going on in the North West and South West Regions, various human rights are being violated especially those of the female sex. The human rights situation for the last two years has become worst even in other regions due to the crisis.

            Hence, some civil society organizations have been schooled on how to defend the rights of female human rights defenders in conflict zones especially within the Anglophone regions of the country.

            This was during a one day workshop last March 27, 2018 on personal safety and networking organized by the Martin Luther King Junior Memorial Foundation, LUKMEF-Cameroon.

Some of the reasons why women are being violated as indicated during the workshop involve the vulnerability of the female sex and also because we live in a society that is gender bias.

            In his discourse, the co-founder and CEO of LUKMEF-Cameroon, Christian Tanyi called on women to be more active, watchful and become more engage in the whole process of defending their rights. “Women today are more prone to various human rights violations such as rape, torture and various psychological abuses. So any threat against women should be taken in to consideration”.

            Human rights defenders were equally enjoined to practice in public instead of practicing in the dark as spies. Mr. Tanyi said “It is either you are a human being or a human rights defender. Do not try to be both because it puts you at risk. If you practice in the dark as spies then you risk the full arm of the law”.

            Njoya Beatrice, chief of social center Bueasaid she has gained a lot of skills on how to defend herself when practicing in conflict zones such as in the SW and NW. “We have learned a lot especially on the aspect of networking. We have to contact other CSOs to intervene on cases of gender base violence because of the crisis”. “With the present crisis, some many girls and women have been beaten, raped and while some have died”.

            On her part, Eteki Stella Dopgima, MINPROF, CEO/Cofounder center for youth and family empowerment is of the idea that the issue of personal safety is very important because if you are not defended then you cannot defend the rights of others.

            She further asserted that “women at the moment lack knowledge and most service providers do not also have the knowledge and capacity. Most of the people who have problems at the moment when you listen to them are very ignorant. Our job now is to listen and educate these women on the various implications of their situations”.

            At the end of the training, participants present at the event pledged to carry out follow up of the various strategies put in place as it has been noticed that follow up is being negated by various officials.