Cameroon joins the international community today, September 28, to mark the International Safe Abortion Day. Under the theme: Solidarity in Action: Advance Reproductive Justice and Urgently Strengthen Health Systems for Comprehensive Abortion Care: the commemoration takes place against a backdrop of rising anti-rights movements around the world.
Cameroon, like many countries on the African continent, still records a significant number of maternal deaths, with unsafe abortion ranking as the third leading cause. Statistics from the Cameroon Society of Gynaecologists and Paediatrics, SOGOC, indicate that about 30 per cent of maternal deaths are linked to unsafe abortions. Abortion remains restricted in Cameroon, with the exception of cases of rape or where the mother’s physical and mental health is at risk, according to the Cameroonian Penal Code. These authorised cases are also set out in the Protocol to the African Union Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, known as the Maputo Protocol.
Despite the signing and ratification of the Maputo Protocol, slow and cumbersome procedures continue to prevent those eligible from accessing the service. This raises fears of a surge in complications linked to unsafe abortions, against a backdrop of a staggering rise in rape cases.
As part of the ACAC project, “Advocacy for Comprehensive Safe Abortion Care” (SOGOC), for instance, has been able to bring together around a table about thirty organisations, including lawyers, medical professionals, journalists, and other activists, thanks to the advocacy work done by various organisations. The National Association for Family Well-being (CAMNAFAW) organised a plenary session with MPs, senators, and government officials at the National Assembly in partnership with SOGOC. The ministries involved were given recommendations to help domesticate the Maputo Protocol and align the Criminal Code with this charter. Efforts are underway for a reproductive health law, with SOGOC and CAMNAFAW leading the way.