In Cameroon, Gender-Based Violence (GBV) is a preoccupying reality, mostly in rural communities and crisis-affected regions. SGBV remains a serious problem between the ages of 15, more than half of women (55%) have been abused. Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG), harmful socio-cultural/economic practices (HP), remain severe violations of women’s and girls’ rights (Inter-agency GenCap advisor for Cameroon).

Every second, women, children and men face various forms of GBV such as rape, domestic violence, forced/early marriage, child exploitation, abuse, confinement, harassment, Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), harmful widowhood practices, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), breast ironing, femicide, filicide, social exclusion, sexual exploitation, and so on. Survivors of GBV are at risk of injuries, depression, anxiety disorders, unplanned pregnancies, and may increase the risk of acquiring Sexually Transmissible Infections (STIs) in some settings.

Certain groups are more vulnerable to VAWG, including girls and women from poor, rural or indigenous communities, those living with disabilities, Internally Displaced Persons, and girls and women who speak out about gender inequality.  Awa Women Africa (AWA) initiative uses media & communication tools to raise awareness, advocate, and engage communities in addressing barriers to girls’ education, and different forms of GBV. Through community sensitization, awareness creation, capacity-building and community dialogues, the community becomes aware of the situation, they also participate in finding solutions, and they are equipped with knowledge and skills to advocate and spread to their peers. By promoting the education of the girl child, we make their voices heard, and enable them to access their first leadership opportunities. Barriers to education have devastating consequences for girls’ life opportunities – it places them at risk of teen pregnancy, child marriage, Female Genital Mutilation and other forms of GBV.