Cameroon: At least 24 women were allegedly raped during a military raid in the South-West Region in 2020. UN Security Council Report of the Secretary-General on Conflict-related sexual violence
2 min readIn a 30 page report published on 30 March, 2021 by the United Nations Security Council, the Secretary-General in the 2020 report has indicated that there was an upsurge in conflicted related sexual violence. “The present report, which covers the period from January to December 2020, is submitted pursuant to Security Council resolution 2467 (2019), in which the Council requested me to report annually on the implementation of resolutions 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009), 1960 (2010) and 2106 (2013), and to recommend strategic actions.”
He also, stated in the report that though with an unprecedented global pandemic, the world witnessed two major “milestones in the development of the women and peace and security agenda, namely, the twentieth anniversary of the adoption of Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) and the twenty-fifth anniversary of the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, were commemorated.”
Amongst other countries, Cameroon in the report is a call for concern. “In Cameroon, long-standing regional tensions have led to an upsurge in violence between the Defence and Security Forces of Cameroon and armed separatists in the North-West and South-West Regions since late 2016. Reports indicate that 24 women were allegedly raped in the South-West Region on 29 February 2020, during a military operation. The survivors did not receive any immediate post-rape treatment, as the alleged incident was only disclosed in July and access to services was limited owing to security threats and poor road infrastructure.” (see page 6 of the report)
The term “conflict-related sexual violence”, as used in the present report, refers to rape, sexual slavery, forced prostitution, forced pregnancy, forced abortion, enforced sterilization, forced marriage, and any other form of sexual violence of comparable gravity perpetrated against women, men, girls or boys that is directly or indirectly linked to a conflict. This link may be evident in the profile of the perpetrator, who is often affiliated with a State or non-State armed group, which includes terrorist entities or networks; the profile of the victim, who is frequently an actual or perceived member of a persecuted political, ethnic or religious minority, or targeted on the basis of actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity; the climate of impunity, which is generally associated with State collapse; cross-border consequences, such as displacement or trafficking; and/or violations of the provisions of a ceasefire agreement. The term also encompasses trafficking in persons for the purpose of sexual violence and/or exploitation, when committed in situations of conflict.
Read/download the full report through the link below: Report of the Secretary-Genera on Conflict-related sexual violence 2020
Or read/download the original copy from the United Nations website through the link below: S/2021/312 – E – S/2021/312 -Desktop (undocs.org)
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.
