Cameroun's economic and political decline during the last decade continues to exacerbate already serious threats to women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights. Social conservatism, especially regarding contraception and abortion, hampers the efforts of nongovernmental organizations to improve access to information and services, particularly for young people. But building on 12 years of work, IWHC’s colleagues in Cameroun are intensifying their efforts to secure women’s reproductive and sexual rights and to advocate for adolescents' right to comprehensive sexualityeducation and services.

A young girl in Maroua, Cameroun.

Young people in Cameroun face a variety of challenges to their health. Cameroun is now confronting an HIV infection rate of 11 percent, with the majority of new HIV infections occurring among adolescents (70 percent of reported cases are between the ages of 15 and 25). Young women are particularly vulnerable: although the majority of girls aged 15 to 19 have heard of modern contraceptive methods and 90 percent of girls in this age group are aware of HIV, only 8 percent of those who are sexually active report using a condom to protect themselves. By age 19, over 50 percent of girls have already had a child or are pregnant, and one third of all abortions, most of them illegal and dangerous, are sought by adolescent girls.

Few adolescents have access to the most basic information about sexual and reproductive health, but thanks to a number of dedicated individuals and organizations, this is slowly changing. With input from IWHC’s colleagues in Nigeria, FESADE (Women, Health, and Development), based in the capital city of Yaoundé, has made steady progress in developing and testing a comprehensive sexuality education curriculum to be used in training organizations and influencing government policy. Also based in Yaoundé, EducActions conducts research and training, raises community awareness of HIV/AIDS and other STDs, and runs a sexuality education program that targets both in-school and out-of-school girls. And after completing an in-depth study on harmful traditional practices, ACAFEM (Cameroun Medical Women's Association) is now turning its attention to research on the health needs of out-of-school adolescents, with plans to share the findings with key policy makers from various government ministries. Thanks to the work of organizations like FESADE, EducActions, and ACAFEM, the Camerounian people and some members of government are growing more aware of the population’s pressing health needs, and as a result, are increasingly open to addressing topics that were previously considered taboo.

Young people outside  EducActions's center in Yaoundé.