'Silence is complicity' - top footballer hits out over Cameroon femicides
The killing of at least eight women in a week has sparked outrage in Cameroon.
Cameroonian football star Nchout Njoya Ajara, 33, has spoken out against the recent surge in femicides in her home country, declaring that "silence is complicity." Ajara, recognized as one of Cameroon's most accomplished female footballers with a professional career spanning clubs like Atlético Madrid and Inter Milan across Russia, Sweden, Norway, Spain, Italy, and Saudi Arabia, joined a chorus of voices demanding greater government action to safeguard women and girls.
The outcry follows the killings of at least eight women within a single week, igniting widespread indignation across Cameroon. Ajara emphasized that "being a woman in Cameroon should never be a risk" and called for an end to the "tragic wave" of violence targeting women.
Official figures reveal a concerning trend, with at least 50 women killed between January and April this year, compared to 77 in the entirety of last year. The latest incident, occurring on Tuesday in Yaoundé, involved the alleged stabbing death of a 44-year-old woman in a hotel room by a 22-year-old suspect who has since been apprehended.
The government has acknowledged the escalating attacks. Marie-Thérèse Abena Ondoa, the minister for Women's Empowerment and the Family, condemned the "worrying" increase in killings in a state media video, stating that the government is actively working to resolve the issue. She referenced a bill aimed at protecting women from gender-based violence, which is currently under review by the prime minister.
However, civil society and women's rights organizations have criticized what they perceive as governmental delays in enacting the bill into law. The opposition Cameroon Renaissance Movement (CRM) party issued a statement expressing outrage over the "tragic recurrence of domestic femicides" and accused the government of passivity.
The majority of femicide cases, reported across various regions of the country, are attributed to domestic violence. Viviane Tathi, whose organization meticulously records femicide cases in Cameroon, expressed skepticism to the BBC regarding the bill's passage during the upcoming November parliamentary session, the last of the year. "We are worried because the November parliamentary session focuses on budgetary debates…So, we don't know by what magic this bill will be passed," she stated. Tathi advocates for the establishment of a specialized court to address family disputes that often escalate into domestic violence.