Abstract

Gender based violence (GBV) negatively affects women in many ways. The study sleeked to outline the effects of Gender based violence on women in Likomba-Tiko. The specific objectives of the study include to discuss the various types of violence against women in Likomba-Tiko, to examine the consequences and challenges of gender based violence on women in Likomba-Tiko and Cameroon in general and to find out the measures taken by the Cameroonian government to combat violence against women. The study triangulates quantitative and qualitative research methods with women in the reproductive age group being the target group.  The study recommends economic empowerment of women and information, education, counseling pertaining to the negative effects of GBV to both males and females.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

The United Nations Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women defined gender based violence (GBV) as: any act of violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivations of liberty, whether occurring in public or private life.

Pursuant to the aforementioned definition of GBV, this study also placed emphasis on the reproductive health impacts of GBV against women. This is partly because traditional gendered power-inequalities make women more vulnerable to GBV.

 

1.1 Background To The Study

Violence against women (VAW), also known as gender-based violence, is, collectively, violent acts that are primarily or exclusively committed against women. Sometimes considered a hate crime this type of violence targets a specific group with the victim’s gender as a primary motive. This type of violence is gender-based, meaning that the acts of violence are committed against women expressly because they are women. The UN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women (2006), “Violence against women is a manifestation of historically unequal power relations between men and women” and “violence against women is one of the crucial social mechanisms by which women are forced into a subordinate position compared with men.”

Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations, declared in a 2006 report posted on the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) website:

Violence against women and girls is a problem of pandemic proportions. At least one out of every three women around the world has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime with the abuser usually someone known to her.

Violence against women can fit into several broad categories. These include violence carried out by “individuals” as well as “states”. Some of the forms of violence perpetrated by individuals are: rape, domestic violence, sexual harassment, reproductive coercion, female infanticide, prenatal sex selection, obstetric violence, and mob violence; as well as harmful customary or traditional practice such as honor killings, dowry violence, female genital-mutilation, marriage by abduction and forced marriage.

Some forms of violence are perpetrated or condoned by the state such as war rape; sexual violence and sexual slavery during conflict; forced sterilization; forced abortion; violence by the police and authoritative personnel; stoning and flogging. Many forms of VAW, such as trafficking in women and forced prostitution are often perpetrated by organized criminal networks (Pickup F 2001)

According to Williams 2002 in his article in the Health and Human Rights Journal, regardless of many years of advocacy and involvement of many feminist activist organizations, the issue of violence against women still “remains one of the most pervasive forms of human rights violations worldwide”. The violence against women can occur in both public and private spheres of life and at any time of their life span. Violence against women often keeps women from wholly contributing to social, economic, and political development of their communities. Many women are terrified by these threats of violence and this essentially influences their lives so that they are impeded to exercise their human rights; for instance, they fear contributing to the development of their communities socially, economically and politically. Apart from that, the causes that trigger VAW or gender-based violence can go beyond just the issue of gender and into the issues of age, class, culture, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation and specific geographical area of their origins.

The World Health Organization reports on December 1999 that violence against women puts an undue burden on health care services, as women who have suffered violence are more likely to need health services and at higher cost, compared to women who have not suffered violence. Another statement that confirms an understanding of VAW as being a significant health issue is apparent in the recommendation adopted by the Council of Europe, violence against women in private sphere, at home or domestic violence, is the main reason of “death and disability” among the women who encountered violence (UNAIDS 2010)

In addition, several studies have shown a link between poor treatment of women and international violence. These studies show that one of the best predictors of inter- and intra-national violence is the maltreatment of women in the society.

Cameroon has ratified a number of treaties relevant to its obligations to prevent and punish acts of violence against women. Cameroon ratified the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) on August 23, 1994. Cameroon has also signed and ratified the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights (African Charter) and signed the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (Protocol to African Charter). Despite all these treaties to end violence against women in Cameroon, women are still being abused. They are sometimes intimidated to remain silent when abused (The press newspaper on violence against women 2003)

 

1.2 Statement Of The Problem

Globally, policies have been formulated in a bid to eradicate GBV targeting women. Such policies include: The Convention on Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women of 1979; The UN General Assembly of 1993; The Declaration on Gender and Development on the Prevention and Eradication of Violence against women and Children of 1997 and The Domestic Violence Bill of 2006. The Government of Zimbabwe has made strides in addressing gender based violence through the enactment of various pieces of legislation like the 1987 Matrimonial Cause Act, the 1989 Maintenance Act, the 1997 Administration of Estates Act, the 2001 Amended Sexual Offences Act.

Regardless of all the aforementioned policies and conferences, GBV continues to be a thorn in flesh among women globally, regionally and Cameroon in particular especially in Likomba-Tiko, not a day passes without a woman being assaulted.  Women have become the punching bag for most men to fall back on when they are drunk. Some are raped, frightened and intimidated. All this violence against women affect their health and in general their productivity in the society. (Watts c et al National Institutes of Health. International Conference on AIDS, 2006).

All these have raised concerns and the following questions need to be answered

1.3 Research Questions

1. What are the causes of Gender based violence?
2. What are the various types of violence against women in Likomba-Tiko?

• What consequences and challenges does gender base violence have on women in Likomba-Tiko and Cameroon as a whole?

1. What is the Government of Cameroon doing to combat violence against women?

 

1.4 Objectives Of The Study

The main objective of this study is to examine the effects of gender based violence against women in the Likomba-Tiko.

1.3.1    Specific Objectives

1. To discuss the various types of violence against women in Likomba-Tiko.
2. To examine the consequences and challenges of gender based violence on women in Likomba-Tiko and Cameroon in general.
3. To find out the measures taken by the Cameroonian government to combat violence against women.

 

1.5 Limitations Of The Study

This research paper will encounter the following limitations

Secrecy: Some women who are raped choose to keep it secret for fear of the treatment giving to rape casualties by their surrounding environment. This is going to distort the results of this research as it will not give an accurate number of rape casualties.

Finance: Finance is a very important resource in research. This research is a very broad one and will require some amount of money which may not be available

Unstableness of the country: Due to the Anglophone crises, a movement within the southwest has become difficult as a result of the numerous threats and ghost towns.

 

1.6 Definitions Of Terms

Physical abuse

According to the American Humane Association (2006), Physical abuse is any intentional act causing injury or trauma to another person or animal by way of bodily contact. In most cases, children are the victims of physical abuse, but adults can also be victims, as in cases of domestic violence or workplace aggression. Alternative terms sometimes used include physical assault or physical violence, and may also include sexual abuse. Physical abuse may involve more than one abuser, and more than one victim. (American Humane Association 2006)

Sexual violence

Sexual violence is any sexual act or attempt to obtain a sexual act by violence or coercion, acts to traffic a person or acts directed against a person’s sexuality, regardless of the relationship to the victim.  Sexual violence against women and girls can take many forms and is carried out in different situations and contexts. There was a study in 1987 that came to a conclusion that women in college have reported being involved in unwanted sex due to men using verbal coercion, physical force, and using alcohol and drugs to intoxicate them. WHO (July 1997)

Forced marriages

Forced marriage is the act of given out a woman for marriage out of her will. It is another form of GBV which is prevalent globally, regionally and Zimbabwe in particular. Research has shown that 34% of women are forced into marriage4, while 57% of girls in Afghanistan were forced into marriage before the age of 16 years16. In Sudan and Yemen, it was noted that 34% and 32% respectively were forced into early marriages (Moradian, Azad 2010).

Rape

Rape is defined in most jurisdictions as sexual intercourse, or other forms of sexual penetration, committed by a perpetrator against a victim without their consent. The definition of rape is inconsistent between governmental health organizations, law enforcement, health providers, and legal professions.  Until 2012, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) considered rape a crime solely committed by men against women. In 2012, they changed their definition from “The carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and against her will” to “The penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.” (Prügl, Elisabeth 2013)