Meeting in Yaounde, both parties reviewed a troubling report on rising abuse cases and discussed urgent solutions. Minister Prof Marie-Thérèse Abena Ondoa announced new measures, including training for soldiers heading to UN missions and support programs for vulnerable women and girls
The United Nations has reinforced its collaboration with Cameroon’s Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and the Family in a renewed effort to tackle sexual abuse and exploitation, particularly in regions plagued by conflict and insecurity. This commitment was highlighted during a high-level meeting held in Yaounde on July 14, between Minister Prof Marie-Thérèse Abena Ondoa and Najat Maalla M’jid, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Violence against Children and Abuse.
The two parties discussed a new report that reveals a worrying rise in sexual exploitation and abuse in Cameroon’s North West, South West, East, and Far North regions, areas where instability and poverty have created fertile ground for such violations. According to the report, women and girls in these regions are increasingly vulnerable to sexual exploitation, often as a result of displacement, food insecurity, and the absence of protective community structures. The meeting also served as a platform to explore concrete actions to reduce these abuses and better support victims. Minister Abena Ondoa presented several initiatives the Cameroonian government has already implemented.
These include partnerships with the Canadian High Commission and Plan Cameroon aimed at empowering women and girls with vocational skills, reintegrating school dropouts, and expanding access to education. The government has also established multiple women’s empowerment centres across the country to enhance technical training for young women in vulnerable communities. A major topic of concern during the meeting was the conduct of Cameroonian peacekeepers deployed in the Central African Republic under the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission, MINUSCA. Reports have linked some elements of the mission, including Cameroonian troops, to cases of sexual misconduct.
Minister Abena Ondoa confirmed that at least 70 cases of sexual abuse involving MINUSCA personnel have been documented, prompting urgent measures to prevent future occurrences. In response, the Ministry has instituted gender-based violence training for all Cameroonian military personnel selected for peacekeeping missions. The Minister noted that the 160 troops scheduled for deployment in September have been fully briefed and trained on issues of sexual exploitation, abuse, and the protection of human rights in conflict zones. Najat Maalla M’jid commended Cameroon’s ongoing efforts but stressed the need for accountability and survivor-centered approaches. She reiterated the UN’s zero-tolerance stance on sexual abuse by peacekeepers and called for stronger mechanisms to report and address such violations.
