Beneath the laughter, the hilarity and epicurean shows that usually characterise the celebration of the International Women’s Day in Cameroon lays a deep-seated malaise.
It is a fact that Cameroon is still largely a chauvinistic society in which the socio-economic and political discrimination against women walks tall.
The status quo triumphs despite the fact that Cameroon has signed the UN Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women, CEDAW. Since the Beijing World Conference on Women in 1995, there has been some awareness on gender equality and gender equity in Cameroon. Little has changed since old habits die hard.
For instance, President Biya’s country is largely a cauldron of discriminatory laws against women. The Civil Society Organisation, CSO, Women in Alternative Action, WAA Cameroon, rang the alarming bell against such laws.WAA’s publication; “Overcome Discriminatory Laws, Overcome Violence Against Women,” is a tell-tale as to how much of a chauvinistic society Cameroon still is.
For instance, the law on adultery clearly discriminates against the woman. The element of adultery offence is provided for under Section 361 of the Penal Code. It partly reads: “Any married woman having sexual intercourse with another man other than her husband shall be punished with imprisonment from two to six months and with the fine from twenty-five thousand to one hundred thousand francs.” The same law makes things rather easier for an adulterous man.
It provides that: “Any married man having sexual intercourse in the matrimonial home or habitually having sexual intercourse elsewhere with another woman other than his wife or wives, shall be punished in like manner.” Experts have condemned such a law as being openly discriminatory. From every indication, a court can find a woman guilty of adultery only by circumstantial evidence.
Whereas an isolated act of sexual intercourse by a married woman with another man anywhere will constitute punishable adultery, the same act cannot be punishable for a married man. As per the law, a married man only commits adultery when he has sexual intercourse in his matrimonial home or when the sexual intercourse out of his matrimonial home is habitual.
Such a law gives the leeway to married men to commit adultery with impunity. A married man who has sexual intercourse with other women in a hotel from time to time does not commit adultery, according to such a provision. This is so especially because the frequency of “habitual” has not been defined by the law.
Worse, Section 294 (2) of the Penal Code makes prostitution an exclusive trade for the female gender only. This law totally disregards prostitution as defined in The Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary of Current English by A.S. Hornby. It defines a prostitute as a person who offers himself/herself for sexual intercourse for payment.
Marriage which is governed by Ordinance No 81-02 of June 29, 1981, provides that men and women have the same right to enter marriage and freely choose their spouses. There is discrimination when it comes to age limit in marriage. Article 52 of the Ordinance states that: “No marriage may be celebrated” if the girl is a minor of 15 years old or the boy of 18 years old unless for serious reasons where a waver has been granted by the Head of State.
Gender equality and women’s rights activists also condemn the fact that the law states, in no unequivocal terms, that the man is head of the family. They argue that many women are bread winners for their families and ought to be considered family heads, especially when their husbands are irresponsible. Another law gives the husband the right to stop the wife from working if he sees that her job is detrimental to their marriage.
There is a battery of discriminatory laws against women. That is why WAA Cameroon, led by Justine Kumche, is advocating the amendment of such laws. Such laws make Cameroon look like a den of male chauvinism. It shows that those who enacted such laws treat women with appalling disdain and scorn.
Despite such laws, women in Cameroon are making progress in some spheres of national life. For instance, there are 56 female Members of Parliament, MPs, at the National Assembly of 180 members. This represents little over 30 percent in relative terms. It shows an unprecedented increase from 25 female MPs in the 8th legislature that ended in 2013. At the level of the local government, only 27 women are mayors out of 360.
Despite such efforts, activists and other stakeholders are far from winning the war on the discrimination against women. It is reported that the average Cameroonian man is a chauvinist. The story is told of a teacher of a certain primary school who betrayed his gender-biased mindset when he was reading results.
Hear him: “The first boy in this class is a girl”. The teacher’s mindset was somewhat rejecting the fact that the best pupil in that class was a girl. Some Pentecostal churches argue that trying to put the woman on the same pedestal with the man is against the will of God. They argue that God deliberately put women as men’s subordinates.
“This is logical. It is not by accident that God made the saviour of mankind, Jesus Christ, to be a man. The Holy Trinity is God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. It is not God the ‘Mother’ and God the ‘Daughter’” one pastor mooted. The man of God called on women to be submissive to their husband and not seek to compare with men.
As drums rumble for the 31st edition of the Women’s Day, it is incumbent on the various stakeholders to give women the chance to showcase their talents. For one thing, discrimination against women is one of the main impediments to the country’s development.
Women should be given the chance to contribute their own quota to nation building. The issue of gender inequality should not be misconstrued and misused to stir problems in their marital homes.
Woman eeehhh!
