By:
Bakah Derick, Blogger at Hilltop Voices
Experiencing
different forms of abuse at home, school or in the community has become a daily
reality for many children in Cameroon. Child abuse remains a major threat to
the education and wellbeing of children.
Unfortunately, many abused children rarely report such incidents out of
fear of abusers who most often happen to be close family and friends.
In
Baingo, in the North West Region of Cameroon, a parent whose 5 children were
abused by a man in 2012 disclosed that she faced overwhelming opposition from
her community when she tried to speak up and demand justice for her children. Astonishingly,
she was rebuked even by the parents of other children sexually abused by this
same man.
Method used in abusing children
Abusers
use different tactful methods to prey upon children. As explained by the mother
of the Baingo victims, the man who abused her children ‘Was a friendly neighbour
who demonstrated generosity towards the children whenever he invited them or
visited the family’. ‘Everyone in the neighbourhood loved him’ she said.
Talking
to hilltopvoices in Njinikijem, a parent of an abused 8 year old girl recounted
how another abuser exploited a rainy afternoon
to rape the victims (8 and 10
years old) upon their return from
school. Realizing they were all alone; he lured the children into his house and
abused both of them.
With
child protection being the core of their activities, Plan Cameroon had to
implement a psychosocial project in 4 areas in the Northwest Region within the Fundong,
Belo, Bafut and Mbengwi council areas. During a two day visit to these areas,
Hilltop Voices was able to register the following developments concerning the
project from the perspective of community stakeholders.
Reporting cases of abuse
Before
2011, reporting cases of sexual abuse in the Northwest Region of Cameroon was not
common. The Psychosocial Support Project
(PSS) implemented by Plan Cameroon through different community based
organizations (CBO) in Belo sub-division with a key focus on sensitizing the
public on the importance of reporting abuse has been producing commendable
results so far. In Baingo where a man abused about 27 children, both boys and
girls between the ages of 6 and 14years, a mother whose 5 children were among
the victims took a step and reported the case to a nearby police station.
‘I decided to investigate after I saw a small girl
coming out of his house holding gifts. I questioned the child and she said that
the man took her into his room, gave her gifts and abused her’ says
mother of raped victim in Baingo. ‘Thanks
to the education we had received on reporting such cases and with God’s assistance,
I took a step of faith and reported the matter to the police’.
In
Njinikijem, when the parents of two raped victims discovered what had happened
to their children, they immediately contacted Ngong Joseph, a municipal councillor
and development chairman trained by Plan Cameroon and he reported the matter to
the Police. Contrary to many other cases, the Police officials acted promptly
on the information leading to the arrest of the culprit. Both abusers in Baingo
and Njinikijem after an intense litigation have been sentenced to 18years
imprisonment with a fine of CFA 250,000 and 11 years and a fine of CFA 150.000
respectively.
Life after an abuse
Copping
socially and psychologically after an incident of abuse is never easy
particularly with the high prevalence of societal stigmatization. To the parents
and children in Baingo, the support of Plan Cameroon and spiritual help from God
has been a source of strength and encouragement. Having learned resilience
through Plan’s Psychosocial Project, one of the victims who is 16 years old and
currently a form five student admits that she felt very bad after the
incident. She also expressed thanks to
the Children’s Forum, an initiative of the psycho-social support project and her
mother for the spiritual and moral support.
In
Nijikijem, though the parents immediately reported the abuse, it was noticed
that there is great need for psychological support to both the two victims and
their families. According to one of the parents, the 8 year old victim has been
unable to concentrate in school after the incident. Currently, Plan Cameroon is
working towards ensuring that this child goes through psychosocial support.
Talking
to the Divisional Delegate for Social affairs in Boyo division, None Omar Bole,
he identified neglect from parents as a major cause for physical, emotional and
sexual abuse. He however noted that with the support received from Plan
Cameroon through the Psychosocial Support Project (PSS), his ministry has been
able to record remarkable impact in curbing child abuse in Boyo Division in the
North West Region of Cameroon.