Report shows alarming level of anti-LGBTI violence in Cameroon
New report by LGBTI advocacy groups in Cameroon shows thousands of cases of anti-LGBTI violence every year.
By Steeves Winner
A new report entitled “INDIVIDUAL FREEDOM: An alarming climate” reveals nearly 3,000 cases of homophobic violence were documented during the year 2022 by the 34 organizations defending the rights of LGBTI people in Cameroon, members of the UNITY platform.
In recent years, a rather unfortunate observation has been made about the increase in violence reported against LGBTI people. In 2017, the first year that data was collected, 578 cases of homophobic violence were reported. The number of cases peaked in 2021 with 4,116 cases of homophobic violence, including psychological violence. Large metropolises such as Yaoundé and Douala recorded the most homophobic violence — with zero response.
The report does note a considerable decrease in violence from 4,116 cases in 2021 to 2,925 cases in 2022. This could in part be due to the poor documentation of violence by observers in some regions, but it could also reflect the awareness and advocacy work that is being done by organizations on the ground.
According to the report, the violence and violations were perpetrated against 987 sexual and gender minority people in Cameroon. These include physical, psychological, sexual and economic violence.
During this year, it was found that economic, social and cultural rights were the most violated rights, with 1,121 cases of violations, as opposed to civil and political rights, with 189. This means that 85.5% of violence in Cameroon is a violation of social, cultural and economic rights and thus, they particularly affect the well-being and development of sexual and gender minority people.
Of the 2925 documented cases, 610 victims identified themselves as gay men, 205 as transgender people, 78 as bisexual people, 127 as lesbian women, and 24 as queer.
Geographically, Douala, Yaoundé and Ngaoundere hold the record for homophobic violence and violations, with 667 cases in Yaoundé, 382 in Ngaoundere and 290 in Douala.
The government and police response to this violence is still non-existent. The authors suggest that more could be done to respond to violence against LGBTI people by international funding bodies such as the Global Fund, the Community HIV/AIDS Investments for Longer and healthier Lives (CHILL) and the US President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which are active in Cameroon.
Under the Cameroon Penal Code, same-sex intercourse is illegal, with a potential penalty of up to 5 years in prison. Other laws criminalize immoral speech, which can be used to target LGBTI people and advocates.
Steeves Winner, the author of this article, is an activist for LGBTI rights in Cameroon who writes under a pseudonym. Contact him at steeves.w@yahoo.com
