OFFICIAL LAUNCHING CEREMONY OF THE 16 DAYS OF ACTIVISM CAMPAIGN TO END VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN CAMEROON

Yaounde, November 25th, 2020, Hotel de ville : Organized by the Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Family, in partnership with UN Women Cameroon with the support of the Federal Republic of Germany, more than 400 people, including local authorities, development partners, civil society organizations and young people, attended the official launch of the 14th edition of the 16 Days of Activism Against Violence on Women and Girls campaign. 

This campaign, which contributes each year to take stock on actions to stop violence against women and girls, was celebrated this year under the banner: Orange the world: fund, respond, prevent, collect!  Cameroon adopted the following theme: "Orange the world: mobilize the necessary factors to alleviate the socio-economic consequences of Covid-19 on women and girls". The campaign's objective is to mobilize all the networks; All UNiTED, the United Nations System, government partners, civil society, schools and universities, the private sector, sports associations, and individuals. It is essential to develop an inclusive approach to fight the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on women and girls, which has increased due to the pandemic.

The ceremony kicked off with an address from the German Ambassador representative in Cameroon, who stressed the importance of stopping violence against women and girls in Cameroon and reiterated the Federal Republic of Germany's commitment to supporting the relevant actors' promoting and guaranteeing women's rights. Mrs. HIND JALAL, Representative of UN Women in Cameroon, delivered the UN Secretary-General's message. In it, he called for a collective commitment to end all kinds of GBV. Given the rise of violence due to COVID-19, it is necessary to intensify activities to promote women's and girls' rights and develop and implement mechanisms to stop GBV.  

In his speech, the United Nations Resident Coordinator, Matthias Z. NAAB, highlighted that even before COVID-19, violence against women was one of the most widespread violations of human rights, with almost 55% of women and girls experiencing GBV in Cameroon. During COVID-19, calls to violence against women helplines increased up to fivefold in the first few weeks of the pandemic. For every three months, the lockdown continues, an additional 15 million women are expected to be affected by violence.

In the launching address of Madam Abena Ondoa Nee Obama Marie-Therese, Minister of Women's Empowerment and the Family, she highlighted that the thematic chosen by Cameroon for this 14th National edition of the Global campaign calls on all of us: men, women, families, communities, leaders at all levels, government officials, to develop an inclusive approach to stop Gender-based violence. She thanked Professor MACHIKOU Nadine, for her lecture on violence during the pandemic and she appreciated the courage of survivors of violence who come to testify publicly. At the end of the ceremony, the Minister offered sewing machines to 12 women and girls, vulnerable to the consequences caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.