Domestic Violence Awareness in Cameroon: A Project by ICRIDEV

The international Centre for Research, Inter-Religious Dialogue and Development joins the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon to say “No to Domestic Violence”. 

It is an issue of concern captured from a series of counselling reports received during a workshop organised for freshly graduated Pastors of the Presbyterian Theological Seminary from the field. During this workshop, participants highlighted having more DV and Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) counselling cases in the Restive crisis-affected regions of the Northwest and Southwest regions of Cameroon. They recommended that it should be given a particular or specific intervention to abate its manifestation in the regions cited above. ICRIDEV had initiated some humanitarian activities to empower Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from these Regions since 2021. From feedback, female beneficiaries from the interventions became victims of DV from their husbands because they had become economically empowered and self-sustainable.

With funds from Kirk in Actie in the Netherlands, the ICRIDEV carved out a DV awareness campaign with an objective to abate this vice, which had become a social problem. As such, they adopted an advocacy and research approach/strategy against Domestic Violence. So far, they have been able to train total of 134 advocates (through workshops held at the Research Centre) while these advocates have, through replication in their communities, trained a total of more than about 1,500 trainers on DV after 2 campaigns, and with 2 research works already successfully carried out and awaiting publishing.

ICRIDEV anticipates more activities to reach the suburbs, as well as create a heavy-duty impact. In prospect, it is their wish to
1. Run a third anti-DV campaign (dependent on the availability of funds). This time around it will be geared towards sensitizing youth and engaging them in the task of advocacy.
2. Strengthen the capacities of DV advocacy groups for continuity of the fight against DV.
3. Mobilize resources to aid victims of DV, especially the women and children (who most often absorb the shock wave of this vice).
4. From the experience gathered, launch certificated courses/training on Domestic Violence fields/streams.