Human Rights and Citizen Participation

Context and Justification

CIPCRE's intervention areas present multiple factors that can constitute sources of conflict or threats to peace and social cohesion both in schools and communities. These factors include the divide between young generations and adults, alcohol and drug consumption in schools and communities, proliferation of religious movements, religious radicalism, difficult cohabitation between farmers and cattle herders, and the security crisis in NOSO (North-West and South-West regions). Generational Divide The misunderstanding between youth and adults is increasingly pronounced in Cameroon. Adults implement strategies aimed at maintaining a society that benefits them, particularly maintaining their power of domination at all costs and not giving youth the opportunity to express themselves. Young people question the values accepted by adults, which they consider conservative and limiting their capacity to develop their potential for better personal and societal success. This mutual misunderstanding leads to mutual rejection and consequently to conflicts. Violence in Schools and Drug Abuse Violence in schools is aggravated by drug, alcohol and narcotic consumption. Many criminals use social networks or roam around schools to sell drugs to students or make some students sales agents for these products. With the proliferation of alcohol sales points around schools, students have easy access. This behavior induces consequences as serious as school dropout, early pregnancies, student assaults, assaults on parents and teachers. Faced with this observation, ministries in charge of education in Cameroon, following a conference organized in December 2022, prescribed recommendations with an action plan including: Installation of video surveillance in all schools Systematization of surprise searches Securing premises by building fences Decongesting overcrowded schools Strengthening collaboration between schools and deconcentrated services Development of an ethical code for secondary education Agropastoral Conflicts Cohabitation between cattle herders and farmers in our intervention zone is not easy. Access to land for livestock and agriculture is subject to fierce competition between these socio-professional groups. The high population density (300 to 400 inhabitants/km²) makes competition for this resource even fiercer. Due to the proximity of farms and narrowness of pastures, crops are often destroyed by cattle, creating tensions, quarrels and conflicts between farmers and herders. The "Anglophone" Crisis The "Anglophone" problem continues to shake Cameroon's socio-political landscape. Through corporate grievances dating from 2016, this problem slowly transformed into political demands for a return to federalism and then into a violent secessionist movement. The crisis toll shows numerous loss of lives including hundreds of law enforcement members and many civilian victims. Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) Internal population migrations have had repercussions on social cohesion at individual, economic, socio-cultural and socio-political levels. These internally displaced persons suffer various types of violence including physical violence, sexual and psychological violence, financial exploitation, and neglect. At the end of January 2024, IDPs were estimated at 1,075,252 in Cameroon.