Auteur/autrice : elvisteke

Early Warning Signs :

Sudden withdrawal from friends, family, or social life.

– A visible shift in personality from confident to anxious, hyper vigilant, or withdrawn.

– Unexplained bruises, especially on the arms, wrists, neck, or face, often covered up or explained away as accidents.

– Visible fear of a partner’s reaction to being late, missing a call, or making a small mistake.

Experts urge that once a women is noticed to be in such situations, the first step is to speak to the victim privately and help her find support via a trusted relative, a religious leader, a specialized NGO, or a police / gendarmerie gender desk.

According to Barrister Edwan, women should not wait for physical violence before seeking help.“Threats, stalking, harassment, and intimidation can absolutely be reported before physical violence occurs.

Waiting for physical violence to occur is not required to seek protection or legal intervention.

Go to a police station, or a gendarmerie brigade or call for help using the till free numbers:

– Police: 117

– Gendarmerie: 113

– Ambulance/SAMU: 119

According Jean Roger Ndebi, “The Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and the Family also has departmental delegation and call centers with toll-free number: 1166. The Commission of Human Rights in Cameroon that can also help. They have toll-free numbers 11 and 13.

If you can’t call, experts suggest you make noises. Scream, alert neighbors, shame should never outweigh safety.

BUILDING A SAFETY PLAN

Legal experts also reiterate that there is no need to wait for physical violence.Under Article 301 of Cameroon’s Penal Code, threats alone can form the basis of a criminal complaint.

Under Article 308 of the Criminal Procedure Code, offenses can be established « by any means of proof » — meaning documented threats, messages, and witness accounts all matter.

WHERE TO SEEK HELP IN CAMEROON

Here are a list of some places experts say victims of abuse can turn to in Cameroon, Police gender desks and gendarmerie brigades, some stations now have units meant to handle GBV complaints with more confidentiality; both experts urge insisting on this if available.

Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and the Family, departmental delegations and social centers in most subdivisions, plus the Centre National de Promotion des Femmes in Yaoundé.

The One Stop Centre for Victims of Domestic Violence, under the same ministry (availability varies by region). National Commission on Human Rights and Freedoms also runs toll-free reporting lines.

UN Women Cameroon — provides legal aid and temporary shelter support in some cases. Jean Roger Ndebi, Social Worker, also pointed to civil-society organizations that provide support to survivors. “Associative movement like Action for Welfare and Peace,” he said, adding that “many other NGOs are doing excellent work on the field.”

He also cited Women in Action and UN Women in Cameroon, which he said provide “lasting legal and temporary shelter.”

Cynthia Ibong Sabtala

At least eight cases involving women killed in violent or suspicious circumstances have been reported over roughly eight days in August.

The Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and the Family told the National Assembly in June that around 50 femicides had already been recorded in the first four months of 2026; civil society groups now estimate the year’s total has passed 60 — higher than the same period in 2024 and 2025.

WHAT HAPPENED THIS MONTH:

-Yaounde–Nsimalen Highway (Aug 11): Kenfack Fortune was ejected from a speeding vehicle and died of her injuries hours later.

– Efoulan, Yaounde (Aug 8–9): Diane Yidi Ebabi, 19, was strangled by her boyfriend following a dispute; he kept her body in his room for two days before burying it in a pit. He was arrested nine days later and confessed.

– Tsinga, Yaounde (Aug 21): A woman, mother of three, was killed and decapitated; her body was found hidden under the bed. Her partner fled with the children to Kumba, in the South West Region, before being arrested.

– Douala,  (Aug 22): 34-year-old Modestine, was killed with a butcher’s knife by her husband in front of their two young children after he barricaded the doors from inside. Her body bearing multiple deep wounds, one of her hands almost severed.

– Near Meiganga, Adamaoua Region: Rougaïatou Saidou, 38, a trader, disappeared in late July; her body was later found buried near an abandoned house. A suspect, now known to be her companion has confessed to the act.

– Mefou-et-Afamba: A young woman was found dead on a road in what investigators believe was a killing staged to resemble a traffic accident.

– Belabo,  Est Region: A young woman was found raped and killed; her attacker has not been identified.

– Yaounde (Aug 26): Beguel Crescence Merline, 44, was found in a hotel room with  stab wounds ay her throat, apparently by a man she met online.

RED FLAGS THAT PRECEDE VIOLENCE — WHAT TO WATCH FOR IN A PARTNER

All these incidents  paint a disturbing picture of violence that seem to mostly target women. According to Barrister Edwan Ngum Tebe, lawyer and gender-based violence activist, violence does not necessarily begin with physical assault. In an Interview, she states,  there are warning signs women and their loved ones should not ignore.

“Some red flags in partners include extreme control: you have a partner who demands access to phones, regulating your dressing choices, or barring you from visiting family or working. Those are red flags. Hyper-jealousy: accusing her of infidelity without cause, and monitoring her movements or locations constantly. We also have explosive anger: breaking objects, punching walls, or making direct or indirect threats to her life or her children’s safety.”

Barrister Edwan Ngum Tebe

Women must be vigilant then and watch out for

Extreme control and jealousy, escalating aggression starting with insults, moving to pushing, then slapping, then choking.
Explosive anger directed at objects punching walls, breaking things, brandishing weapons to intimidate, even without direct physical contact.
Death threats including indirect ones,
Financial control, shifting blame insisting she is responsible for provoking his anger or violence.
A sense of ownership language and behavior, Isolation, cutting a woman off from friends, family, religious or community networks.

Another human Rights Activist and Social worker, Jean Roger Gerard Ndebi, states, prevention begins with recognizing the warning signs and refusing to remain silent.

Jean Roger Ndebi

Social Worker / Human Rights Activist

“These are the red flags that precede 90% of feminicide, he noted.

According to both experts,  femicide, often follows months of imposed isolation and more often, when a woman announces she is leaving. This moment requires the highest level of caution and support.

Cynthia Ibong Sabtala