In light of recent family tragedies in Cameroon, Fadimatou Bengono has taken a stand against child abuse, particularly the widespread idea that education often requires the use of whipping.
During her appearance on the program "Le Club" on Bnews 1, this activist of the Cameroon People's Democratic Rally (CPDR) deplored that many find it difficult to conceive of education without physical violence. "In Cameroon, it is often believed that a child cannot be educated without violence," she said, pointing out that even the ban on whipping in schools is seen by some as a "white people's story". However, she nuanced her remarks by acknowledging that it is important to know how to dose.
Fadimatou Bengono shared a poignant personal experience. She recounted witnessing a child being abused and beaten by his father in her neighborhood. The indifference of the neighborhood had revolted her, prompting her to intervene directly. "I was forced to leave my house, go to the neighbors, cross the street because a child had been crying for almost 45 minutes," she explained. Faced with the general inaction, she threatened the father to call the police if he continued to hit his child, insisting that he did not have a right of life or death over him. Since then, she has never heard that child cry again.
In Cameroon, corporal punishment of children is illegal in schools and the penal system, but remains legal at home and in alternative care settings. The Cameroonian legal system, based on French civil law and English common law, recognizes a right to inflict corporal punishment on children. Provisions against violence and abuse in the Penal Code (1967) and the Constitution (1996) are not interpreted as prohibiting all corporal punishment against children.
Numerous studies have highlighted the widespread use of corporal punishment in childrearing. A UNICEF analysis of survey data from 2005-2006 revealed that 78% of children aged 2-14 had experienced physical punishment at home, and 28% had experienced severe physical punishment.
Despite the illegality of corporal punishment as a criminal sentence, there is no explicit prohibition in alternative care settings. The Committee on the Rights of the Child and other bodies have repeatedly recommended the prohibition of corporal punishment in Cameroon.
In 2017, a national child protection policy was adopted, but its precise content remains unknown. A new Civil Code, combining provisions on children's rights and family law, is being drafted. The Bengono case highlights the need for a change in attitudes and a more protective legal framework for Cameroonian children.
