The first group marriages took place in Nkolbisson, Yaounde on Saturday July 27, 2013.
The premises of the Yaounde VII Council in the Nkolbisson neighbourhood were exceptionally busy on Saturday July 27, 2013. The event was the first-ever celebration of collective marriages in the municipality which brought together some 25 couples from the Yaounde VII Sub-division.
Speaking during the occasion, the Mfoundi Divisional Delegate of Women's Empowerment and the Family, Yvette Bogan said many couples live as concubines in the sub-division for diverse reasons. She explained that through sensitisation, the officials of the divisional delegation were able to convince some couples despite resistance from some of the men who did not want to cooperate. She called on the all the local authorities of the sub-division to join her in sensitising the inhabitants in the locality.
She also used the occasion to congratulate the newly-wedded couples on behalf of the Minister of Women's Empowerment and the Family and called on other couples who are still living as concubines to get registered for the next group marriages scheduled in the days ahead.
During the occasion, prizes were awarded to couples who had lived as concubines for more than 11 years. Also, school material was equally donated to vulnerable children from poor families in the sub-division. For the past several years, the Ministry of Women's Empowerment and the Family promotes group marriages in order to officialise unions, protect them legally and secure women who are mostly victims of abuse and repudiations, among others.
