Stories of young girls and women being raped continues to make news in our communities today even though majority of the cases are unknown as survivors most often fear to speak out on the issues.
Participants awarded certificates at the end of four day training
The armed conflict rocking Cameroon’s North West and South West regions has for the past four years made women and young girls more vulnerable. Stories are abound of women and girls being raped by belligerent groups in the armed conflict while others are kidnapped and turned into sex toys by armed men. It is on the backdrop of this disturbing scenario that survivors of raped in Kumba, Chief of Meme Division in the troubled South West region and neighboring localities have been urged to break the silence and speak out on such unfortunate situations as a means of fighting the ill within communities.
The call was made during a four day conference organized by Rescue Women Cameroon – a women-centered organization that aims at empowering women and girls in all aspects of their lives. The conference which solely focused on how to fight rape in the society and other techniques of overcoming the trauma was on the theme, “The Power of Our Voices”.
Addressing the women and girls drawn from different parts of the country during the conference, Madam Nakinti Besumbu Nofuru, founder/CEO of Rescue Women Cameroon, who herself is a rape survivor, harped on the need for participants to use knowledge acquired at the end of the training to educate the society on the need to support survivors of rape in order to always break the silence and become heal of the stigma. She said it is only through report cases of rape for perpetrators to be tracked that the social ill will be completely eradicated.
She challenged participants to become advocates against rape and other forms of gender base violence in their various communities.
She pledged to shuttle from one town to the other and continue the sensitization and training of survivors who have been suffering on their own for long.
Barrister Marie Abanga, CEO of the Hope for the Abused and Battered, used the workshop to highlight the legal implications of rape to participants.
She said there is no excuse for rape and ignorance of section 296 of the Pinal code which states “whoever by force or moral ascendency compels any person, whether above or below the age of puberty to have sexual intercourse with him shall be punished” is not an excuse.
Participants used the training to narrate their tear-provoking ordeals suffered in the hands of family members notably stepfathers, cousins and even by their pastors and humanitarian.
They said the stories have been shielded all through due to threats of being killed by the perpetrators.
The participants expressed gratitude for the training especially knowledge on legal implications of rape, importance of overcoming trauma and promised to share knowledge acquired to impact others in the communities.
Some of them revealed they were unable to forgive those who assaulted them but after the training, they have emerged with new mindsets to let go and move on.
About Rescue Women Cameroon
It is a women-centered organization aimed at empowering women and girls economically, socially, psychologically, academically and politically. It partners with USA-based Global Pearls Incorporated which funds most of their projects.
Rescue Women Cameroon has also been advocating against all other forms of violence, supporting projects mainly focused at preventing activities that may lead to vulnerability amongst girls and women.
By Doh Bertrand in Yaounde with field reports from Tamfu Ciduan in Kumba
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