For survivors of gender-based violence (GBV) in the crisis-hit North-West Region of Cameroon, access to essential care and justice has long been a matter of chance rather than certainty. Over the past eight years of armed conflict, health facilities have closed, service providers have fled, and those left behind have faced an uphill battle not only to find help but to be believed, heard, and supported.
Group picture at launch
It is into this challenging environment that the Association for the Promotion of Women’s Rights and Peace Building (AP-WORP) has introduced a new initiative: ‘Restoring Dignity: Advancing Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights and Justice for GBV Survivors in Crisis-Affected Communities of the North-West Region.’
Launched in Bamenda, the project is designed to provide survivors with affordable, survivor-centred services that address not just medical needs, but also psychological, legal, and social barriers to recovery.
Munteh Florence Chea, Project Lead
Speaking at the launch, Munteh Florence Chea, Project Lead and AP-WORP’s Executive Director, said the idea emerged from the stark realities faced by survivors in conflict-affected communities:
“For the past eight years, we have been in a crisis situation that has exacerbated gender-based violence in communities, and the survivors have hardly had the required attention and services that they deserve because services, as we know, are distorted in crisis settings. This project comes to holistically address issues around sexual reproductive health rights for survivors. Today, with this launch, we are announcing our commitment to you. We are going to be strategically observing the ‘do no harm’ principle in this project.”
She explained that sexual violence including rape has risen sharply in rural areas where access to sexual and reproductive healthcare is virtually non-existent. Even when survivors find the courage to speak up, they are often met with unaffordable services or environments that are far from safe or supportive.
“Our health services need to be addressed so that they are able to respond to the needs of survivors of gender-based violence and even beyond,” she said. “Most often, we protect perpetrators and we expose survivors. This must change.”
The ‘Restoring Dignity’ project will focus on affordable and subsidised healthcare, counselling, and legal aid. It will also work to prevent unsafe abortions among young girls, protect the rights of survivors, and promote open dialogue in communities. By placing survivors at the centre of its strategy, AP-WORP aims to dismantle the judgement and stigma that silence victims.
Munteh Florence stressed that informed care is central to the project’s philosophy:
“Most often, we judge young people without listening to them. We want to make sure survivors receive the necessary attention in terms of counselling, informed care, and health services that are really accessible. Communities will be sensitised, and survivors will be empowered to make informed choices despite what they are suffering.”
The launch was attended by representatives from the Ministry of Women Empowerment and the Family, the Cameroon Human Rights Commission, civil society organisations, legal practitioners, community leaders, and agencies such as UN Women all of whom were called upon to support and amplify the project’s work. Munteh Florence expressed hope that by the end of the initiative, there would be a stronger network of actors committed to ensuring survivors are not left behind.
The ‘Restoring Dignity’ project will now move into its implementation phase, focusing on the most underserved communities in the North-West beginning with a stakeholders engagement meeting. For survivors who have spent years waiting for meaningful support, it promises not just services, but a shift in the way society responds to their pain replacing silence and neglect with care, justice, and hope.
By Bakah Derick for Hilltopvoices Newsroom
Email: hilltopvoicesnewspaper@gmail.com
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