The Mayor of Limbe I Council, Eposi Florence, has encouraged singles who want to marry but lack the means to take advantage of the Council’s mass marriage opportunity.
In November, the Council will organize mass marriages under the MY NAME campaign, which was launched during the first Mayors’ Forum in Yaoundé.
The requirements for registration are minimal: photocopies of the couple’s ID cards or birth certificates, six joint passport-sized photos, and an attestation of single status for foreigners.
“Registration for the mass marriage will begin on Thursday, September 5, 2024, and end on Friday, October 11, 2024, at the civil status registry of Limbe I Council,” stated Mayor Eposi in an official announcement.
The purpose of the mass marriage initiative is to eliminate “come we stay” unions, where couples live together in relationships that are not legally, culturally, or religiously recognized.
Such informal marriages are common in Cameroon and, according to authorities, they disproportionately affect women.
A few weeks ago, during International Women’s Day, Cameroon’s Minister of Women Empowerment and the Family, Marie Therese Abena Ondoua, urged couples to legalize their unions.
She expressed concern that if a husband died, the wife and children would be unable to claim inheritance due to the lack of legal recognition of their union.
Additionally, under Cameroonian law, a father who has not legally married the mother cannot have his name listed on their child’s birth certificate.
This is stipulated by Law No. 2011/011 of May 6, 2011, which amends and completes certain provisions of Ordinance No. 81/02 of June 29, 1981, regarding civil status registration and the status of individuals.