During a joint press conference held by several government members on June 1, 2026, the Minister of Communication condemned the resurgence of acts of violence against women and children. René Emmanuel Sadi listed the measures taken while calling for collective mobilization.
Between 2023 and 2026, cases of femicides and especially violence against children, including cases of rape, have been increasing, reaching a critical alert level. In less than four years, more than 200 cases of femicides have been recorded in Cameroon, including 50 in 2023, 67 in 2024, and 77 in 2025. In the first quarter of 2026, women’s rights organizations counted at least 26 cases of femicides. Furthermore, between 2025 and 2026, about twenty cases of violence against children, including rapes and murders, were reported in various cities and localities across Cameroon.
The resurgence of these violences is concerning and requires appropriate treatment. Indeed, “neither the government nor the judiciary is insensitive to these tragedies which unfortunately affect our society more and more with a staggering frequency and scale, a situation against which the government intends to react and act with the utmost firmness,” declared the government spokesperson in his opening remarks. According to the Minister of Communication, these situations deserve persistent attention. The goal is to denounce and condemn them, call for strong actions to punish the perpetrators and put an end to them.
Thus, the council of ministers and other state institutions have taken measures for the protection of women. These include addressing gender-based violence at the Ministries of Women’s Promotion and Family and Social Affairs. This involves all government actors working in social, health, security, judicial fields, local authorities, technical and financial partners among others. This support is provided in about a hundred temporary shelters called “safe spaces”.
Additionally, there is medical follow-up, judicial and security assistance, socio-economic reintegration of survivors; the progressive implementation of “Gender Desks” in police stations, gendarmerie brigades, and centers for women in distress. Not to mention capacity building for actors in the chain fighting gender-based violence.
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Regarding measures taken for children, the government emphasizes the development and dissemination of the Positive Parenting Program, the establishment of “Child Desks” in certain police and gendarmerie units, the fight against sexual abuse of children, the establishment of a helpline for children in distress; the setup of toll-free numbers to facilitate reporting and useful information allowing rapid intervention by security forces in schools and universities; the permanent presence of security forces on the ground; training of security forces in child and gender protection.
In terms of repression, relying on the legal framework applicable in Cameroon, security forces participate in repressing these acts of violence. They facilitate the opening of investigations in cases of violence against vulnerable persons; broaden the repressive scope to related offenses; apply the provisions of criminal law during the investigation phase.
Given the scale of the phenomenon, the government’s action remains limited. That is why the Minister of Communication calls for everyone’s mobilization in the fight against violence against vulnerable persons. For René Emmanuel Sadi, this endeavor resolutely involves the entire social body, from awareness of these phenomena to actions of various kinds. Everyone is called to participate in prevention, awareness, denunciation, or repression of these criminal acts.
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