full version - World Organisation Against Torture

CameroonDuring the last session of the Committee against Torture in 2000,Cameroon admitted that its human rights record “left a good deal to bedesired.” 11 The UN Committee against Torture cited in 2000 a number ofproblems relating to police custody, the independence of the judiciary, thesupervision of prison conditions and the need to investigate all allegationsof torture and ill-treatment. 12 Cameroon’s “concern with security and stability”apparently overrides “all other considerations, including some fundamentalhuman rights.” 13 In its Concluding Observations, the Committeeagainst Torture expressed concern at, among others:(a) The fact that, despite the policy pursued by the Government, tortureseems to remain a widespread practice;(b) The continuing practice of administrative detention, which allows theauthorities reporting to or forming part of the executive branch (theMinistry of the Interior) to violate individual liberty, somethingwhich, under the rule of law, should come under the jurisdiction of thejudiciary;(c) The gap between the adoption of rules in accordance with humanrights standards, including those designed to prevent the practice oftorture, and the findings made in situ by an independent entity such asthe Special Rapporteur on the question of torture, who reports theexistence of numerous cases of torture;(d) The imbalance between the large number of allegations of torture orill-treatment and the small number of prosecutions and trials; 14No mention was made about gender-based human rights violations againstwomen.2. Status of Women in CameroonAn analysis of the legal and socio-economic and political status of womenin Cameroon shows the link between the high levels of violence againstwomen in Cameroon and their low status in all aspects of life. Besides thefact that laws relating to women’s legal status reflect social attitudes thataffect the human rights of women, such laws often have a direct impact onwomen’s ability to exercise those rights. The legal context of family life,123