Victim Testimonies

“When my late husband died ... may his soul rest in peace, who was a magistrate in Cameroon he died leaving behind with me two kids, the first was four years old ... and the second was just a week ... With the stress of a nursing mother and the death of my husband, (my husband’s) family still sent me away after I finished mourning and also took everything away from me ... Life became so hard and difficult for me because no one or any justice could back me up. One day my child fell sick and there was no money to administer treatment on him my child almost died because he was short of blood and there was no money to do blood transfusion and to buy drugs, so l cried until the doctor felt pity on me because of his critical condition and he commanded for an immediate treatment to commence on him and praise God! That was how my son got well. Finally, a friend borrowed me 80cfrs to start a petite business to take care of me and my children and I was also doing some savings from the proceeds of my business to help send my children to school. “a.“ I was forced to shave every pubic part of my body, l was locked in the room for two weeks nobody could talk to me nor shared with me. I was deprived from bathing and l developed body rashes all over and was also deprived to sleep on the bed but on the floor, no form of communication was allowed, people accompanied me without communicating with me everywhere I go, for example going to the toilet. Also deprived me from an important rule of washing my hands before eating, I was robbed with palm oil all over my body according to them it was a sign to drive away evil spirits. All these practices was done on me as a nursing mother of which its a barbaric, evil and harsh practice.” – Anonymous.

“Her husband died while she was pregnant and had three children. This lady was sent away by her in-laws with a cutlass (sword) in the night under the rain in the gun firing situation of the country just because she refused to marry her brother-in-law. As a result, she found refuge in a Catholic church by the Father (Catholic Priest) of the church. After some few days, she was due for labor and she gave birth in the church due to the situation she was going through and some other unforeseen circumstances. Considering that she didn't leave with any of her belongings from her husband's house, she left the church where she put to birth at an ungodly hour to go and collect some of her children's dresses and also her baby's but unfortunately she was attacked on the way by armed men who brutally raped her not knowing that she just put to birth. She went through a lot of pain and trauma notwithstanding the pain she was going through from her husband's dead and also the thought of surviving with her children. Luckily enough a good Samaritan saw her in her unconscious state and took her to the hospital and that is how she survived dead and she was able to get help from the church and other well-wishers and that is how she survived and reunited again with her children. Finally, there was no justice to back up the woman in these her cases due to her lack of finance.”

When a widow’s husband die his corpse is washed and the water used to bath the corpse was forcefully given to her to drink ... they wanted to know if she is the cause of her husband's death”. - Call for aid from a group of 200 widows. Santa, North West Region.

Widows of the Bekom community have no right to remarried except the brothers of their late husbands. Also, the properties of their late husbands are not inherited by the widows but instead by their Nephews (by their late husband sister son)”. - Call for aid by a group of 100 widows. Bafut North West Region.

Here when a widow's husband dies she is forced to sleep in the same room with her husband's corps and food is given to her on a leaf, her hair is shaved and thrown on her husband's grave and she will eat roast cocoyam with red oil for 40 days. She will also mourn her husband for 2 years until she has enough money to remove her sackcloth.” - Call for aid by a group of 60 widows. Mbangem, the Bakossians South West Region.