Countries: Cameroon
Variables: PW-LAW-1

“In countries such as Cameroon, Egypt, Kenya, Senegal, South Sudan and Sudan, the laws allow for more than one marriage. Kenya’s laws emphasise that customary and Muslim marriages are presumed to be polygamous or potentially polygamous. In Sudan and Senegal, a man can have up to four wives” (12). “(v) Polygamy: Moreover, under the Civil Code and Ordinance 81-02, polygamy is still allowed in the country” (43).

Countries: Cameroon
Variables: MARR-PRACTICE-5, PW-PRACTICE-3

“There is a draft Code of the Person and the Family which has been pending since 2020 and is awaiting adoption by the National Assembly at the time of publishing this Report. If adopted, it will have a favourable impact on women’s rights within the family. For instance: ► Dowry and gifts cannot be returned; ► Spouses owe each other mutual love, respect, fidelity, help, and assistance, in the case of polygamy, each wife has the right to equal treatment in relation to the other wives; ► Each spouse has freedom to work without obtaining the consent of the other; ► In case of dissolution of a marriage, the wife...more

Countries: Cameroon
Variables: MARR-LAW-1

“Some countries such as Cameroon, Nigeria, Senegal, South Sudan, Sudan, and Tanzania still allow for marriages under 18 in contradiction with the Maputo Protocol. The laws in these countries also often have discriminatory provisions allowing girls to marry at lower ages than boys” (9).

Countries: Cameroon
Variables: IW-PRACTICE-1, IW-LAW-1

“(iv) Inheritance: The Draft Code of the Person and the Family is discriminatory towards widows if the deceased husband does not leave a will. Its Section 919 provides as follows: “Intestate succession shall devolve by application of the law to the parents and to the surviving spouse in the following order: ▶ Descendants ▶ Forebears ▶ Collaterals ▶ Surviving spouse ▶ The State” As a surviving spouse, widows should be inheriting from the deceased husband in a prioritised manner” (43).

Countries: Cameroon
Variables: IAD-PRACTICE-1, IAD-LAW-1

“There are also countries such as Algeria, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, South Sudan, Sudan and Tunisia that outrightly provide for unequal inheritance of the girl child or female spouses, or place women below the inheritance line. As a surviving spouse, widows should inherit from the deceased husband in a prioritised manner. In countries like Egypt and Sudan, there are different succession regimes for Christians and Muslims where a Christian woman must inherit equally as her brothers, which is not the case for Muslim women” (16).

Countries: Cameroon
Variables: CUST-LAW-1

Increasingly reformed Children’s Acts now ensure guardianship rights for both parents, whether married or unmarried, a presumption of joint, shared custody and the child’s right to know and be cared for by both biological parents. This goes a long way to ensuring equality in parental relations, as required by the Maputo Protocol. Such countries are Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique and Senegal” (15). CUST-LAW-1 “Both parents have the same authority over the child, even upon divorce. However, the court can decide on only one parent having parental authority if it is in the best interests of the child” (42).

Countries: Cameroon
Variables: ATDW-PRACTICE-1

“Women and men have equal rights to petition for divorce in countries such as Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Mozambique, and Senegal” (14). “Both spouses can initiate a divorce proceeding and the court will grant a divorce where either: ► There is mutual consent ► One spouse has deserted the other for a period of one year ► Married life has broken down ► There is fault on the part of one spouse” (42).

Countries: Cameroon
Variables: ATDW-LAW-1

“Both spouses own the matrimonial property. In addition, in the case of Immaculate Vefonge vs Sammuel Lyonga Yukpe, the Court of Appeal of Buea ruled to sustain a Bakweri custom whereby a husband is forbidden to send away a nursing mother from the matrimonial home or initiate divorce proceedings against her” (42).

Countries: Cameroon
Variables: ATC-DATA-2

“None” (41).

Countries: Cameroon
Variables: AOM-PRACTICE-1, AOM-LAW-1

“(iii) Child marriage: While Section 356 of the Penal Code criminalises forced marriage, it does not prohibit child marriage. It only provides for a minimum punishment of not less than 2 years in cases of forced marriage of children under 18, regardless of mitigating circumstances. The Civil Status Registration Ordinance of 1981114 states the minimum marriageable age as 15 for girls and 18 for boys with a clause that such marriages should involve the consent of both parties and equally recognised by an official document. However, a further waiver from these minimum age requirements can also be granted by the President for serious reasons” (43).

Countries: Cameroon
Variables: DV-PRACTICE-1

“For more than a decade, Cameroon’s government had publicly committed to halving violence against women by 2026, an ambitious and necessary goal in a country where women face widespread violence including physical, economic, psychological and emotional violence, both within the home and in public life, most often perpetrated by husbands, intimate partners, and male relatives. These abuses are not isolated incidents but are rooted in entrenched gender inequality, discriminatory laws, weak institutions, and exacerbated by chronic underinvestment in prevention and survivor support. Despite repeated commitments since 2011, the government has taken few concrete steps toward meeting its stated target. Midway through 2026, the government has blatantly failed to meet its...more

Countries: Cameroon
Variables: INFIB-DATA-1, WR-PRACTICE-1

“Widows were sometimes forcibly married to one of their deceased husband’s relatives, especially in rural communities, to secure continued use of property left by the deceased husband, including the marital home. The practice of widow rites, by which widows were subject to certain trials such as bathing in public or movement restrictions, was prevalent in rural communities in the West Region. Anecdotal reports suggested breast ironing, the process of forcibly flattening emerging breasts in pubescent girls, continued to exist in some rural communities” (35-36).

Countries: Cameroon
Variables: LRW-PRACTICE-2, LRW-LAW-1

“The law criminalized rape but did not specify whether it applied to both women and men. The law did not address spousal rape. Penalties for conviction ranged from five to 10 years’ imprisonment. The law was not enforced effectively, and police and courts rarely investigated or prosecuted rape cases, especially since survivors often did not report them. Members of the Cameroonian Bar Association attributed a lack of enforcement of gender-based violence laws in part to the expense and limited availability of rape kits and emergency medical care, which they claimed made it difficult to prosecute cases” (34).

Countries: Cameroon
Variables: GEW-PRACTICE-1

"'Sexual violence and torture are heinous crimes that governments have an obligation to immediately, effectively, and independently investigate, and to bring those responsible to justice,' said Ida Sawyer, deputy Africa director at Human Rights Watch. 'One year on, survivors of the Ebam attack are desperate for justice and reparations, and they live with the disturbing knowledge that those who abused them are walking free and have faced no consequences'" (para 3). "None of the rape survivors interviewed could get post-rape medical care in the immediate aftermath of the attack due to a range of obstacles, including displacement, lack of medical facilities, the cost of travel to such facilities, the cost...more

Countries: Cameroon
Variables: EWCMS-DATA-3

"For the timeframe 2020 to present, there appears to be no published Cameroon-specific data on how often rape or sexual assault between military personnel is prosecuted, dismissed, or dropped. Although a female Air Force member described sexual harassment within the military, no information was provided on complaints, investigations, prosecutions, or punishments" (MR-CODER COMMENT).