EU accords FCFA 118 million for gender violence prevention

The European Union (EU) and Cameroon signed Wednesday, a convention of 118 million FCFA for the prevention of gender violence in 30 communities which will benefit more than 80,000 women in the English-speaking parts of the country.

The awareness campaign is expected to last 24 months between 2015 and 2016, 85% funded by the EU. Two other projects related to the humanisation of widowhood rites in the West and the fight against violence against women in the far North and the object of a call for proposals, will be launched before the end of the current year.

Following in the same footsteps, the EU announced another call for proposals under the European Instrument for democracy and the rights of man (EIDHR), of 656 million CFA FRANCS. Since 2010, Cameroon received an envelope of 600,000 euros annually from the EU aimed at strengthening the capacity of journalists to produce and disseminate articles and radio broadcasts.

These productions focus on the prison environment of Cameroon, strengthening the awareness and advocacy for rights of minorities of forest communities, the prevention of the exploitation of children for sexual purposes and rehabilitation of victims in areas of Extreme-North Centre, West and North West.

These funds have also been dedicated to the improvement of conditions of detention in prisons, to the protection of human dignity of persons born in 'captivity' in the chiefdoms of the people, inclusion of women and young victims of trafficking in the socio-economic regions of Adamawa, the far North and North and, with respect for the rights of those stigmatized and vulnerable in Cameroon.