MP urges female colleagues to fight for women’s rights

The spokesperson of MPs of the Cameroon Democratic Union, CDU, Hon Hermine Patricia Ndam Njoya, has expressed disappointment that, despite the increase in the number of female MPs in the current Legislature, female MPs have, so far, not made any significant achievement in Parliament in the interest of the female folk.

She has attributed the situation to what she says is the lack of collaboration between female MPs to jointly fight for the protection of women’s rights in the country.

The MP, who is the wife of the National President of the CDU and Mayor of Foumban, Dr. Adamou Ndam Njoya, was speaking in Douala on the occasion of the 30th edition of the International Women’s Day.

Hon. Patricia Ndam Njoya recalled that at the 2013 legislative elections, the number of women in Parliament crossed the 30 percent target that many organisations and NGOs had set.

She asserted that many women as well as NGOs fighting for women’s rights, had rejoiced that the female MPs who are currently over 50 in number, would now be able to constitute a strong bi-partisan force in Parliament to fight for the adoption of laws to protect the rights of women, including the girl child.

But, she regretted that since the start of the current 9th legislature in 2013, female MPs have not been able to come together to hold even a single meeting.

She disclosed that she has, on her part, made considerable efforts many times to try to get the female MPs to meet on a bi-partisan platform, but all her efforts have not yielded fruits, as female MPs of both the ruling CPDM and of the opposition have been hesitant or scared to accept the idea for such a come-together.

On why they are shying away, the CDU MP insinuated that the female MPs were under the manipulation of male MPs of their parties, who are discouraging them from belonging to any such group. She said some misconceptions are even bandied around that the bi-partisan association of female MPs will be against the spirit of sticking to party lines, and will thus constitute a disrespect of party discipline.

The CDU MP insisted that the coming together of female MPs will be for nothing else than work on specific issues of interest to the female folk. She asserted that those keeping the female MPs in disperse ranks don’t want them to effectively mount pressure for the adoption of laws or codes to protect the female folk so that the male folk in the country will continue to suppress and discriminate against the female folk with impunity.

Women Are Not Protected By Law

Meanwhile, Hon. Patricia Ndam Njoya said: “Women are not protected by the Law in Cameroon.” She said, even in the 21st Century, women in Cameroon continue to be victims of domestic and sexual violence, on a daily basis, as well as victims of discrimination. She insisted that these ills are encouraged in Cameroon by the pernicious fact that there is no law against violence on women.

She said, as a glaring example that the leadership of this country does not care about the situation of women and the family, is that the Family Code, talked about for so many years has, till date, not been adopted. The MP said she had thought that the issue would be one of the major preoccupations of female MPs in the current legislature.

Female MPs Have So Far Failed

Hon Patricia Ndam Njoya said she was not out to criticise her fellow MPs, but that with the March session of Parliament to open, she wished to remind her sisters in Parliament, that “up till now, we have not done our work as the voice of the Cameroonian women in Parliament,” and that “we must bear in mind that we are obliged to play that role.”

She insisted that female MPs of the current legislature, including herself, have failed the Cameroonian women, by not standing up as one in Parliament to fight for the rights of women. She observed that the main functions of MPs are to adopt laws and control Government action.

The CDU MP stressed that that female MPs of both the ruling party and the opposition, have a joint responsibility to bring the Government and Cameroonian men to respect the female folk, by pressing for the adoption of laws to protect women’s rights, and for the adoption of laws that will curb discrimination and sanction violence against women and the girl child.

She reminded the Cameroon Government that female folk constitute the majority in country’s population.

Hon Patricia Ndam Njoya’s visit to Douala was within the framework of a programme she put in place since she first entered Parliament in 2007, to visit Douala, at least, twice a year when Parliament is in recess, and hold meetings with the large community of CDU militants there and brief them on actions by CDU MPs in Parliament. The last visit coincided with the period of the celebration of the International Women’s Day.