CHRDA-OMCT stakeholders meeting to improve prison conditions in Buea-Cameroon
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[Posted as published on their website] as]The prison conditions in Cameroon remained deplorable given the escalating conflicts in the North West and South West Regions, the Boko Haram Insurgency in the Far North Region and the unstable political atmosphere in the country.
In these trying times of the COVID-19 pandemic, the prisons remained congested despite calls from the national and international community to decongest the facilities, thereby posing as a threat to the lives of prisoners, the administrators and the population.
On 27 July 2021, Funded by the EU in partnership with OMCT, #CHRDA launched the implementation of a project titled “From crisis response to system change in times of COVID-19; strengthening and sustaining Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) action to improving the safety of people deprived of liberty and preventing grave human rights violations”. This project aims to provide pro bono legal services to prisoners thereby improving the conditions of detention facilities in Cameroon.
The event which took place in Buea today draws a number of Civil Society Organizations, Government stakeholders from the troubled regions and representatives of #OMCT to discussed the way forward towards improving/decongesting prisons in Cameroon.
According to Barrister Agbor Nkongho, it is incumbent for the Civil Society Organizations both national and international, government bodies to work together toward achieving a common goal, which is a free and just society for all.
At the end of the discussion that lasted for more than two hours, a number of recommendations were made with one being that members of the judiciary should understand the need for the protection of prisoners’ rights and ease the process for Civil Society bodies to access the prisons when requesting to assist these inmates. This will help to timely respond to the deteriorating living conditions especially in times of COVID-19.
Berinyuy Cajetan is the founder and publisher of Human Rights and Legal Research Centre (HRLRC) since 2017. He has intensive experience in strategic communications for Civil Society Organizations, campaign and advocacy, and social issues. He has an intensive experiencing in human rights monitoring, documentation and reporting.
