AP-WORP consultations expose justice gaps for GBV survivors

Reporting gender-based violence does not always lead to effective follow-up or justice for survivors in the North-West Region of Cameroon, according to findings emerging from bilateral consultations conducted by the Association for the Promotion of Women’s Rights and Peace Building (AP-WORP).

The findings emerged from separate bilateral consultations AP-WORP conducted with 10 organisations from 28 August to 4 September 2026. The AP-WORP team visited their respective offices to discuss barriers survivors faced in reporting cases, pursuing justice and obtaining effective follow-up and accountability. The consultations involved COMAGEND, Justice and Peace Service Bamenda, Mother of Hope Cameroon (MOHCAM), Community Association for Vulnerable Persons (CAVP), Sustainable Women’s Organisation (SWO), Human Rights Commission Bamenda, YouthForce, CAGEAD, ABBA-GURU and Organisation for Women’s Empowerment and Development (OWED).

The consultations were conducted under AP-WORP’s UAF Rapid Response Project, which sought to strengthen protection, psychosocial support, emergency assistance, referrals, case management and accountability for survivors of gender-based violence.

AP-WORP Executive Director Munteh Florence Chea said one of the biggest weaknesses identified was the gap between reporting a case and the survivor’s ability to pursue it through the justice system.

“A survivor may have the courage to report, receive some initial psychosocial or medical support, and still find herself facing family pressure, financial barriers, complicated procedures or inadequate follow-up,” she said.

Family and community interference emerged as one of the concerns affecting justice processes. Survivors also faced cumbersome and costly judicial procedures and limited access to affordable services.

These barriers could become particularly significant after a survivor had already taken the difficult step of reporting violence.

“At that point, the survivor can become exhausted and may withdraw from the process altogether,” Munteh Florence said.

The consultations therefore examined not only whether survivors could report cases, but what happened afterwards, including case follow-up, accountability, protection after reporting and access to legal and justice services.

Munteh Florence said the central issue was whether the system could remain engaged with survivors throughout the process.

“The real question is whether the system can stay with that survivor until she is safe, supported and able to pursue justice,” she said.

The consultations also identified weak coordination between institutions and referral pathways that were not always sufficiently institutionalised.

According to AP-WORP, a survivor could move from a health facility to psychosocial support, protection services or the justice system without clear and reliable connections between the different stages of the response.

The organisation argued that this weakened both survivor protection and accountability.

The consultations consequently called for a more survivor-centred pathway in which responsibilities were clearly defined, referrals worked across institutions and reported cases received appropriate follow-up.

AP-WORP also proposed measures to identify and reduce procedural, financial and institutional barriers that discouraged survivors from pursuing cases.

The findings are expected to contribute to a planned high-level protection and accountability engagement on September 28, where regional authorities, justice and security actors, government services, civil society and protection partners would be invited to consider concrete measures.

AP-WORP says the meeting should be able to produce measurable commitments rather than general statements, with responsible institutions and timelines attached to agreed actions.

The organisation also planns to document progress and continue drawing attention to unresolved gaps.

The consultations thus placed accountability beyond the simple act of registering a complaint. According to AP-WORP, effective justice requires a system capable of protecting survivors and accompanying them throughout the process.

By Bakah Derick for H