Govt disrupt sensitisation gathering against child trafficking

Nasseri Paul Bea, Senior Divisional Officer for Wouri, is being criticised by a child protection civil society group, the SOS Enfants Voles, for disrupting a meeting which was organised to sensitize citizens on child trafficking.

The CSO had planned the meeting for October 1 during which they were going to project a documentary on child trafficking in Cameroon. Despite the fact that administrative authorities had been duly informed about the meeting, the SDO stormed the venue accompanied by five police commissioners, two senior gendarmerie commanders and dispersed the crowd that showed up at the venue in Bonapriso, Douala.

One of the members of the association, Kah Wallah, President of the Cameroon People’s Party, CPP condemned the actions of security forces. The documentary was, however, projected at the headquarters of the CPP a few hours later.

The documentary is entitled ‘Stolen Children in Cameroon: The State Scandal.’ It was produced after a three-month investigation and contains testimonies of people who have lost children to child traffickers. It equally contains eyewitness accounts from lawyers, medical doctors, and civil society activists. The cases of Vanessa Tchatchou and Josepha Kileba were among some of the real life stories that were brought up in the documentary to demonstrate the level of concern.

The documentary presented cases of 20 stolen babies and shed light on the reaction of government and the conditions of the families involved. It also sampled opinions of civil society leaders, religious leaders, human rights activists, doctors, child trafficking experts, and psychologists.

SOS Enfant Voles is a movement which consist of 16 associations and civil society organisations, five lawyers, four medical doctors, politicians and opinion leaders. It was created in the backdrop of rising concerns over child trafficking in Cameroon.