This is a fight for human rights. Its does not pit African traditions against western traditions or the colonised against colonisers. Africa has the same universal values and belongs to humanity. It is not separate, and neither is Cameroon.
Alice Nkom is a Cameroonian lawyer and woman human rights defender with over twenty years of experience working on human rights, with a particular focus on LGBTQI+ rights and women’s rights. She has been a member of the Cameroonian Bar from 1971 – 2022. Alice Nkom is the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of REDHAC, and has been working for the organisation since 2010. REDHAC is a coalition of human rights defenders active in eight countries in Central Africa. REDHAC represents over 400 members, including human rights defenders, lawyers, and journalists, with the aim to mitigate the risks that they face, and raise awareness of the human rights situation in the region.
In Cameroon, human rights defenders and journalists critical of the government are particularly targeted and often face harassment. HRDs working on minority and land issues as well as those working on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersexed (LGBTI) rights are particularly vulnerable. Security forces have tortured, beat, harassed, and abused citizens, journalists, detainees and human rights defenders, especially those who are members of the LGBTI community. Governmental authorities have also impeded the effectiveness of human rights NGOs by disrupting their gatherings, harassing and threatening violence against their members, in addition to violently dispersing peaceful demonstrations.
