Michaëlle Jean meets women associations

The Secretary General of la Francophonie began her day yesterday with the representatives of women associations.

The meeting was very colorful, thanks to various women associations clad in distinct loincloths that identified the 60 associations gathered at the ceremony.

These female singularities did not evade the instructive side of the appointment led by the Minister for the advancement of women and the family (Minproff), Marie-Thérèse Abena Ondoa.

In her introductory remarks, Madam Marie-Thérèse noted that long ago, the Cameroonian woman realised that unity is strength, thus leading to thousands of community, professional, religious associations established across the country.

Problems that affect women are mostly general and cut across areas such as selective schooling, early and forced marriage, genital mutilation, domestic violence, illiteracy, widowhood, difficulties with regard to access to land and loans.

Michaëlle Jean advised the women saying, "I am glad to know that you have named all your problems and that public authorities have writings in context, evidence that solutions are in sight or in progress".

She however, noted that it is important to dwell on two essential points: violence and female entrepreneurship. "Certainly, there are more girls who go to school and women in positions of responsibility, but there are still vices against women pertaining to humanitarian or political crises".

The Secretary General of the OIF thus mentioned the issue of rape besides the violence that still persist. For her, the Francophonie has bread on the Board, to be cast with ideas for women.

About entrepreneurship, Michaëlle Jean was pleased to know that there are more than 600 women entrepreneurs in Cameroon.