4116 GBV Cases in Cameroon P.U Annual Report 2021

The month of june is soon approaching, set aside as our pride month. We can’t celebrate #Pride without educating ourselves about the LGBTIQ+ fight for equality, and how this is still a farfetched reality in most countries like Cameroon. Many of the people we support were tortured because of their sexuality. Identifying as LGBTIQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning (or: queer), intersex) is punishable by death in nine countries and Criminalised in 70. 32 States have laws restricting freedom of expression on sexual orientation and gender identity issues. Same-sex marriage is only legal in 27 countries

In Cameroon, 4116 cases of violence were recorded in 2021. perpetrated on sexual and gender minorities (SGM). Specifically, on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people (LGBTIQ). Of these numbers, 2936 are the psychological ones, or 71%. Insults, defamation, hate speech, discrimination, etc. are some of them, as noted in the Annual National Report 2021 on Violence and Violations against Sexual and Gender Minorities in the country, released on May 13 by the PLATFORM UNITY P.U

Most of this cases did consist in a broader base, psychological violence which is the principal cause of many mental illnesses that can lead to depression, post-traumatic stress, insomnia, permanent anxiety or suicide attempts. “We have had several cases of suicide in the past. Especially transgender people who lived in isolation and when they expressed their gender, they were violated, molested and the only solution for them was to commit suicide by leaving letters”, explains Michele Engama, President of the Unity platform.

For the 34 civil society organizations that worked on the production and publication of the report, there is reason to be concerned. “Every being has the right to live in peace, joy and psychological fulfillment. When someone is already psychologically affected, as doctors usually say, even if you take medication you will not be cured”, says the President of the Unity platform.

However, the concern also comes from the fact that these numbers are crescendoing. Indeed, “Organizations in their annual reports already presented 500 cases of violence in Cameroon in 2018. There has been some evolution because from 578 cases, we went to 1380 cases of Violence. Then we found ourselves at 2034. Today we are at more than 4,000 cases of violence against sexual and gender minorities in Cameroon,” explains Jean Jacques Dissoke, a member of the report’s drafting committee.

Repercussions

But that’s not all. In Cameroon, these various violations have had significant repercussions in terms of health, particularly in the fight against HIV. Indeed, “the discrimination and stigmatization experienced in health care settings is a factor that tends to drive SGM away from health care settings,” lament these CSOs specialized in human rights. This state of affairs is also a hindrance to the achievement of the 95/95/95 objectives relating to screening, treatment and suppression of the viral load in key populations.

With this in mind today, “We would like to address certain people to take certain measures. They can be legislative, judicial, programmatic at the level of certain ministries,” recommends Eva Mayer Etongue, a human rights expert. Moreover, in this 31-page report entitled “The Cry of a Community. From misinformation to drama”, recommendations were made to several institutions. Notably the Parliament, some ministries such as Justice, Defense, the Ministry of Health, development partners who support the movement. “What we expect in a concrete way is that the report is disseminated and that the various recommendations are given special attention in relation to all the actors involved.

Attached below is the Annual Report in the French Language. the English version will be out soon.