A Bamenda based not for profit
nongovernmental organization Modern Advocacy Humanitarian Social and
Rehabilitation Association MAHSRA has expressed indignation towards Cameroon’s
judiciary following suspicion of “conspiracy and undue favouritism if not
bribery” in a recent decision made public which according to the NGO “deprives
a poor widow and her legitimate orphaned children of their Livelihood.”
Briefing the press recently in Bamenda on the continuous
maltreatment of widows by traditions worst of all by courts which are
repeatedly being noticed to be disrespecting human rights November 1, 2017, Dr Kelly Ngyah the
Chief Executive Officer CEO of MAHSRA as a case study narrated the story of a
country based widow (name withheld) and a foreign based widow (name withheld)
with the courts considered to have issued a judgment in favour of the foreign based who the CEO says is guilty of
bigamy and multiple identification because she got married again while in her
foreign country with a different name and dates of birth. The home based widow
on whose disfavour the judgment is delivered MAHSRA CEO narrates lived with the
man in question (name withheld) till death, bearing children, performing the
widowhood rights and even in possession of a letter of administration which is
now withdrawn. With the understanding that both women were both married with
legal marriage certificates, the rights group indicts the courts for failing to
establish the true identity of the foreign based widow.
Before making the press outing, Dr Kelly indicated that he
has written to several institutions amongst them the Attorney General Court of
Appeal North West, the Ministries of Justice, Territorial administration and
decentralization, women empowerment and the family and the National Commission
for Human rights and Freedoms with no reply on the matter.
“Restlessly, our heaviest concern here lays in the fact
that, there are countless other cases out there suffering similar fate and
which the corrupt minds continue to enjoy impunity, thus we are requesting for
thorough investigation to be conducted
to ascertain that the said judgment was not flawed by any corrupt influences
and that equity finds its place to rescue this poor widow whose only livelihood
sources for her and her legitimate orphaned children is threatened.” MAHSRA CEO
said.
Being an NGO “having as duty to foster sustainable
development priorities at all levels especially with respect to advocacy in the
promotion of vulnerable women and girls development rights, MAHSRA stands
against the fact that a woman could abandon a man for “20years and left to die
in the care of another woman mothering his legitimate children” to come back
after to “maliciously grab from a deceased man she had hurt.”
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