By Tata Mbunwe
The rising tide of femicide in Cameroon, where at least seven women have died in the hands of their partners in the last seven days alone, has renewed focus on the need for stronger laws against gender-based violence.
At the center of this renewed debate is an anti-femicide bill proposed by the opposition Social Democratic Front (SDF) party during the June parliamentary session.
The bill, which sought to strengthen the legal framework on femicide, infanticide, and cruel domestic violence acts, was hastily dismissed by the CPDM-led Parliament without being given the chance for debate on its merits. House Speaker Rt Hon Datouo Theodore gave it no second look.
It was one of five bills submitted by the opposition party, led by its chairman and parliamentarian, Hon. Joshua Osih.
The submission came after cases of femicide, infanticide, and child sexual abuse had inundated the media for days, triggering alarm both online and offline among citizens.
For months, the abuses seemingly subsided, but their resurgence over the past days warrants the urgent need for stronger measures to deter future perpetrators. The SDF had foreseen the legal loophole that allows perpetrators, most of them men, to escape nearly scot-free.
A case in point was when the Wouri High Court in Douala, in April last year, offered a five-year suspended sentence and a paltry 52,000 francs CFA fine to Bekobe Eric, a man who pleaded guilty to killing his wife in a widely publicized domestic violence case.
The insufficiency of the judgment in punishing the crime triggered public outrage and prompted a retrial by the appeals court. Mr Bekobe was arrested and handed 20 years in jail.
But beyond this single case lies a bigger legal gap. While Cameroon’s laws punish murder and other forms of violence, there is no legal framework that specifically addresses femicide and other gender-based crimes, which are surging by the day.
When the SDF tabled the bill against femicide, it was seen as a thoughtful proposal from the opposition, an effort to accompany the state in curbing such barbaric acts. But to the dismay of many, the bill was dismissed simply because it came from the opposition.
“These bills should have been examined, debated and, where necessary, improved by the nation’s representatives,” SDF Chairman Joshua Osih said in a statement on August 27.
“This was never a partisan matter. It was, and remains, a human and national emergency: to provide Cameroon with more effective legal instruments to prevent these crimes, protect vulnerable people, prosecute perpetrators, and secure justice for victims,” he added.
The opposition has often argued that Cameroon’s Parliament has been rendered ineffective in addressing the country’s pressing issues because it has been ‘held hostage’ by President Paul Biya’s CPDM party, which controls all three arms of government.
All bills that have successfully passed through Parliament have originated from the CPDM, typically through the Presidency. The ruling party holds an overwhelming majority of 152 seats out of 180, while seven opposition parties, including the SDF, share the remaining 28 seats.
With just five MPs, the SDF’s bills, no matter how reasonable, have consistently failed to advance.
As the country prepares for municipal and parliamentary elections scheduled for next year, the party’s only hope of wielding stronger influence lies in increasing its quota in Parliament. Until then, the fate of vital legislation, including the anti-femicide bill, remains uncertain, and Cameroon’s women continue to pay the price.