Auteur/autrice : TimesNews2

During the 16 days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, an annual campaign that takes place from November 25 to December 10, RADD organized a series of activities with women, actors affected by agro-industries, and major projects in Cameroon. The Network of Sustainable Development Actors known by its French acronym RADD, the Journalists for Earth Association (J4E), the Association for the Defense of Human Rights (APPDH-Assistance and eight (8) associations of women living around industrial plantations in Cameroon say STOP!!! As part of activities to mark 16 days of activism against Gender-Based Violence, GBV coupled with the international day on the elimination of violence against women, on November 25, 2022, under the theme: “Ending violence against women and girls in the context of climate change”, RADD and its various partners launched series of activities for the 16 days of activism against GBV. On day one, RADD, J4E, APPDH-Assistance, and 8 neighborhood women associations living around industrial plantations took an active part in the activism campaign against violence. The campaign launched was aimed at raising awareness and denouncing different abuses and outrages suffered by women and girls living near large monoculture tree plantations. The objective of this campaign, which begins on November 25, 2022, is to encourage women to continue the fight to safeguard their fundamental rights and their vital resources; to take public opinion to witness and call on governments and donors to increase measures and means to protect women and young girls living near major projects, the precariousness of which is increasing with climate change. The call made was to provide local residents with tree monoculture plantations in Cameroon. They said extractive industries such as dam projects, extraction of natural gas, coal, and oil, major deforestation for large monoculture tree plantations, infrastructure projects, etc. which are carried by our states and are the main culprits of climate change. These large projects in villages monopolize most of the time essential resources (land, forests, water, air, etc.) used by women and young girls to develop their means of living and to be autonomous, and sheltered from violence. of all kinds and particularly economic violence. RADD and partners denounce the fact that the State does not guarantee these local women deprived of their resources substantial lasting compensation. As a result, women find themselves abandoned to themselves, risking the worst violence and frustrations of all kinds that undermine their dignity. Activities marking Day two were focused on the theme: “My land, my life, my workplace” According to these networks and associations, large-scale plantation development involves the grabbing of traditional customary lands and the destruction of forests and resources that rural women and girls have in their families’ livelihoods. To stop this: We, the neighborhood women say STOP to grabbing by agro-industries and major projects! Respect the minimum strip of 5km around our villages On Day three focused on the theme: “My water, my life”, it was outlined that Agro-industrial plantations and major projects consume more than half of the world's drinking water resources, and are responsible for the pollution of surrounding water and groundwater, causing suffering and disease to small farmers and their families. Women and young girls are particularly affected by the consequent violence of this scarcity of drinking water around industrial plantations. This situation is worsening with climate change. To stop this: "We, the women living near agro industries and major projects, say STOP to the grabbing and pollution of water!!!" That the agro-industries build boreholes for the benefit of the neighbouring villages and that the polluter pays principle applies. “My health, My life” was theme highlighted on day four by these networks which said large-scale plantations and large projects have a negative impact on women's health. Companies do not keep the promise to provide efficient health services to local residents. However, many diseases arise as a result of soil and water pollution by chemical inputs from business activities. To stop this: We, neighbourhood women of agro industries and major projects say STOP to the destruction of the physical and mental health of local women and girls. That agro-industries build and equip health centers for the benefit of local residents. Activities of day 5 centered on the theme: “My good, My life” as stated by these various associations and networks who believe that the implementation of large-scale plantations and major projects are, because of the destruction of goods and resources and the monopolization that it entails, the cause of famines, economic shortages and poverty of the local populations. To stop this: We, the women living near agro-industries and major projects, say STOP to famine and the impoverishment of our families and YES to inclusive and sustainable development. Day six’ theme was on: My freedom, My life. The agro-industrial companies disseminate barriers and enclosures in the public passageways, dig trenches 4m long and deep in the village said RADD and partners. These restrictions on freedom of movement are amplified by incessant and outrageous checks. The people living near these plantations are forced to travel long distances to access their traditional activities. They end up in green prisons. These numerous attacks on individual freedoms result in the frustration, misery and economic dependence of women and young girls. To stop this: We, the women living near agro industries and major projects, say STOP to attacks on individual freedoms! Freedom of movement is a fundamental Human right.  “Violation of religious and cultural places”, it was the theme chosen to highlight day seven activities. It is said the establishment of agro-industries has taken place without taking into account worship and cultural sites. It literally destroyed the sacred sites, the trees planted on the graves and the places of worship, all this in defiance of the attachment of these citizens to their cultural values. To stop this: We, the women living near agro industries and major projects, say STOP to the violation of religious and cultural sites in these industrial plantations. The cultural and natural heritage of a people is an inalienable good, necessary for its social

Les 20 et 21 Décembre 2022, un colloque international sur les violences en milieu scolaire au Cameroun s’est tenu à Yaoundé à l’initiative d’une collaboration stratégique entre le Fond du Secrétariat Général des Nations Unies pour la Paix et le Ministère des Enseignements Secondaires. L’objectif des travaux est de réduire à sa plus simple expression le phénomène des violences scolaires. Selon le contexte, ces dernières années scolaires ont été marquées par des faits divers qui racontent des actes de violences dans l’enceinte de nombreux établissements scolaires à travers le Cameroun. Plus de 10 cas d’actes de cruauté ont alimenté les colonnes des journaux et suscité un tollé général au sein du pays. Des faits dont les auteurs sont des élèves et leurs camarades et, de plus en plus, leurs encadreurs ceci à la faveur du développement fulgurant des réseaux sociaux. La variante des vidéos sexuelles est apparue des nouvelles formes de violence. La conférence internationale de Yaoundé a réuni plus de 150 acteurs des « différents segments de la société camerounaise… des parlementaires, des enseignants du secondaire et du supérieur, des élèves, des parents, des représentants des forces de sécurité, des membres d’organisations de la société civile et des partenaires au développement ». La cérémonie protocolaire d’ouverture a connu la présence de la Ministre des Enseignements Secondaires, le Pr Nalova Lyonga, le Ministre de l’Enseignement Supérieur, Ministre d’Etat, le Pr Jacques Fame Ndongo, La Ministre de la Promotion de la Femme et de la Famille, Marie Thérèse Abena Ondoa et la Ministre des Affaires Sociales, Pauline Irène Nguéné. Les Ministres de l’éducation de Base et de la Jeunesse et de l’éducation Civique se sont fait représenter respectivement. La cartographie de la violence scolaire a été présentée par Bernadette Mbiah Sansi, Directeur de l’orientation, de la vie et de l’Assistance scolaires au Ministère des Enseignements secondaires. Elle dit : « la violence est un fait social. L’école est dans la société et donc les actes de violences qui se produisent dans la société se reproduisent forcément à l’école. L’école est un microcosme de la Société et il est difficile d’identifier les causes de la violence scolaire qui exclue les causes de la violence en société. C’est les mêmes causes c’est-à-dire un mal être selon les cliniciens. Un individu qui commet des actes de violences est un individu mal dans son être et qui a des problèmes de santé mentale. L’environnement lui-même est devenu violent vous partez de votre maison au travail vous vous faites insulter dix mille fois par des jeunes Camerounais et donc ces élèves vivent dans cette société là… » Elle précise dans son exposé liminaire que 70 pour cent des violences sont issues de l’enseignement secondaire général et 30 pour cent de l’enseignement secondaire technique. En dehors du panel d’honneur essentiellement constitué des membres du gouvernement, 4 autres panels ont porté les travaux à travers des thématiques d’analyse de la situation et de proposition des solutions. Des élèves ont présenté des témoignages émouvants tout comme des enseignants et autres experts. La principale résolution de ces travaux de deux jours, est de susciter la prise de conscience de toute la communauté éducative nationale sur l’intérêt de mutualiser les forces pour ramener à sa portion la plus congrue, la violence en milieu scolaire dans le pays. « Un travail ardue » confie un syndicaliste de l’éducation, participant au colloque. Par Jean Patient Tsala

A global initiative program for early childhood development dubbed: “Thrive by Five” was officially presented in Yaounde, Cameroon on Wednesday 7th December 2022 during a ceremony chaired by Social Affairs Minister, Pauline Irene Nguene. Thanks to the Kalkaba Development Initiative, KDI, Cameroon is today the first country in the French-speaking African region to benefit from the Thrive by Five program which is being rolled out in some 30 countries. The Thrive by Five program launched in Yaounde during a colorful ceremony that gathered government officials and various key actors will be fast-tracked by KDI who partnered with Australian philanthropic organization, Minderoo Foundation. From information granted to the audience present at the official launch, the program seeks to raise global awareness of the early years of a child and the necessity to empower parents and caregivers through a variety of channels both digital and non-digital in their own language and individually tailored to meet a particular country’s language, cultural and social requirements. The Thrive by Five program as underscored by KDI is underpinned by three core products which are: the thrive by five app for parents and caregivers of children aged between 0 to 5 years; the support of the thrive by five content disseminated via online and offline channels for increased accessibility and the thrive by five TED talk by Molly Wright. Founder and President of KDI, Mr. Hamad Kalkaba Malboum in his keynote address outlined the increasing need to support underprivileged children who dream also of a brighter future. He said: “A country’s future and prosperity lies in the hands of its children. In Cameroon, more than 40 percent of the population is 14 years old or younger. It is scientifically proven that the first five years of a child’s life are crucial to their brain development, yet many children in our country are unable to attend early childhood education, and many parents do not know how important interactions with their children are for their development.” He further said this innovative program will positively impact the development of childhood in Cameroon. “We are proud to launch this program in Cameroon, together with our friends at Minderoo Foundation, to educate parents and caregivers about the importance of the first five years, because we believe that it will help create a better future for the people of Cameroon.” He added. The President of KDI, Hamad Kalkaba Malboum equally praised the existing and fruitful partnership sealed with the government through the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Ministry of Women’s empowerment and the family. On his part, Francis Ogutu, Minderoo’s Director for Africa outlined the importance of this program just launched in Cameroon which has a young vibrant population. Cameroon’s Minister of Social Affairs said this partnership comes at the right time and it will help reinforce the multiple actions carried out by the government and precisely by her ministerial department that is in charge of questions of childhood. Minister Nguene said: “Thrive By Five, as you have seen in previous screenings, is an initiative focused on the inclusive development of early childhood (0-5 years).  In a context marked by increased globalization with the corollary and the exponential development of new communication technologies, received ideas, and real impacts on the psychological and psychic construction of the child, exposing him/her to multiple flows of information. It was important, even necessary, to rethink the strategy of giving our children a better way of seeing the world in which they live through programs and contents…” Pauline Irene Nguene went further to underscore the need for these multi-educational contents to be scaled up to make room for lessons corresponding to the cultural and economic specificities and the priorities of each child. “This necessitates the development and implementation of the Thrive by Five application as a beginning of an effective response to this global challenge of children's education and it is the result of the hard work of Cameroonian and Australian experts in the process of contextualizing the application. Thus, beyond the qualitative gain for the development of the child and the family in general, as we have just seen, the benefits of this project for Cameroon are invaluable quantitatively, because the children of today are the future of our country. As such, I would like not only to congratulate the people in charge of KDI, for this opportunity they are offering to Cameroonian children but also, to praise their patriotic spirit for the partnership they have engaged in with the MINDEROO FOUNDATION to see Cameroonian families benefit from the experience of those in Australia, thank you again.” She indicated. Social Affairs’ Boss reiterated the fact that this program falls in line with Cameroon’s new development objectives contained in the 2020-2030 strategy with a focus on human capital to ensure that vulnerable groups or communities have the means and skills to live healthily. Let us recall that KDI and the Ministry of Social Affairs signed on June 2022 a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU which incorporates this program. KDI was founded in 2007 by Mr. Kalkaba Malboum who is a public figure well-known for his contributive actions in the sports and social milieus. Elise Flore Kenimbeni