Category: Central Africa
A cry for help: Cameroon lesbian is raising the rapist father’s baby
Belle, a 20-year-old lesbian in Yaoundé, is a victim of sexual abuse and family rejection who is struggling to make ends meet for herself and her two- [...]
Cameroon: Professor’s homophobic remarks get him into trouble
An international affairs professor in Cameroon has been disciplined for his homophobic comments about the country's leaders. By Courtney Stans [...]
Cameroon: LGBTI activists denounce sexual abuse of teenage boy
LGBTI rights activists in Cameroon have denounced the sexual abuse of a teenage boy by a man he turned to for advice about art and music. [...]
Cameroon: Support grows for release of trans celebrity Shakiro
Increasing numbers of human rights advocates are calling for the release of Shakiro, a Cameroonian trans woman and online celebrity who has been impri [...]
Arrest of 13 presumed homosexuals, anti-AIDS workers in Cameroon
Police in western Cameroon arrested 13 people last week on homosexuality charges, including seven staff members of the anti-AIDS organization Colibri. [...]
Trans celebrity Shakiro under arrest in Cameroon
A popular trans celebrity and her companion are imprisoned awaiting trial in Cameroon after their arrest Monday on homosexuality charges. An online pe [...]
Cameroon: 4 shelters welcome LGBTQ+ victims of violence
Four organizations in Cameroon have opened shelters where LGBTQ+ people can find refuge and recover from homophobic violence and family rejection. [...]
Cameroon: New leader for veteran HIV fighters at Affirmative Action
The new executive director of Affirmative Action is is looking forward to working with other organizations in their ongoing fight against HIV/AIDS, es [...]
Cameroon: A flash of red thong leads to arrest
Police in southern Cameroon arrested a gay man shortly before Christmas after noticing that he was wearing a red thong, which was briefly visible as h [...]
Cameroon: With Israeli aid, drop-in center can now fight AIDS better
The Israeli embassy in Cameroon is working with the Camfaids drop-in center to improve diagnosis and treatment of HIV / AIDS in Yaoundé, Cameroon. [...]
Cameroon: 500 learn modern tactics for fighting AIDS and gender violence
Hundreds of people learned about modern methods for combating HIV/AIDS, gender-based violence and ignorance about sexuality during a three-day event [...]
Cameroon: Bad and good news in latest human rights report
In a report on human rights violations last year in Cameroon, LGBT rights activists reported a decline in arbitrary arrests, but an overall increase i [...]
Cameroon: Homophobia as a political ploy
Cameroon provides the latest example of a despicable tradition in homophobic nations -- hurling accusations of homosexuality as a political ploy. [...]
Victimized gay couple flees Cameroon, hopes to reach Europe
Juk and Mike are two young gay men who decided that exile was preferable to continuing to endure anti-gay violence, hostility and discrimination in Ca [...]
Cameroon: For gay students, new school year brings worries
For LGBTI students, returning to school in September means returning to a hotbed of stigmatization and discrimination. LGBTI advocacy groups help them [...]
LGBTI advocates create a security plan in Cameroon
Cameroon's human rights watchdog group is pushing to improve the security of the nation's LGBTI people and their advocates, who last year were the vic [...]
Lesbian life in Cameroon: Her dream is to escape
Like many citizens of Cameroon, Elsy has a dream. She dreams of leaving her native country and moving to Europe or the United States where she could [...]
Human rights in Cameroon: A new wind is blowing
In Cameroon, a country that has long reeked of repression, a new wind is blowing. It's coming from a new human rights support network that includes le [...]
Homosexuality in Cameroon: 4 plead guilty and are set free
Four Cameroonian men arrested in June on homosexuality charges pleaded guilty last month, setting the stage for lenient sentences and their quick rele [...]
Cameroon activists say their goodbyes to Yves Yomb
Human rights activists and other members of Cameroonian civil society gathered last week to pay tribute to LGBTI activist Yves Yomb, who died in June [...]
The ordeal of an intersex woman in Cameroon
An intersex person's life is difficult in Cameroon. Like other LGBTI people, she is rejected by society but, unlike other LGBTI people, there's no or [...]
Cameroon: Lesbian love affair ends in death, but who was the killer?
After a lesbian love affair in Cameroon turned fatal, police are investigating whether the killer was the dead woman's lover or an angry brother. [...]
Cameroon activists seek a law to defend defenders of human rights
Cameroon needs a law to protect human rights defenders, activists declared at a press conference last week. From the African Human Rights Media [...]
Cameroon human rights activists focus on Covid-19
The challenges posed by Covid-19 were the focus of Cameroon's sixth annual Human Rights Defenders Day, held each year on July 15. From the [...]
Cameroon workshop provides new tools for human rights workers
In Cameroon, dozens of human rights observers gathered last month for training in human rights and in how to keep themselves and their data safe. [...]
Cameroon prepares for annual Human Rights Defender Day
Human rights activists in Cameroon set aside each July 15 as Human Rights Defender Day, a time to protest the violence and other violations they face [...]
Will Cameroon follow Gabon by repealing anti-gay law?
The LGBT community in Cameroon cheered when the parliament in neighboring Gabon voted to repeal its anti-homosexuality law. But many sectors of Camero [...]
Gabon is on the brink of repealing its anti-gay law
The central African nation of Gabon is just one signature away from repealing the anti-homosexuality law that it enacted a year ago. From t [...]
Gabon lawmakers seek to decriminalize homosexuality
Legislators in Gabon took the first step yesterday toward repealing the central African nation's anti-gay law, which had been enacted just a year ago. [...]
Cameroon: For once, father defends his gay son
Here's what often happens in Cameroon when a family learns their son is gay: They throw him out of the family home, cheered on by homophobic neighbors [...]
Cameroon: Four gay men arrested, beaten in Kekem
Police in the western region of Cameroon arrested four men on Tuesday who were beaten until they acknowledged that they were gay. From the [...]
Prominent citizens unite to combat abuse of LGBTI Cameroonians
Two of Cameroon's most prominent LGBTI advocacy groups have merged two projects that help victims of homophobia through the influence of prominent cit [...]
Cameroon: Charges dropped against 53 arrested in Bafoussam
Charges have been dropped against 53 members of the LGBTI community in western Cameroon who were arrested last month for violating Covid-19 regulation [...]
Covid-19 in Cameroon: Human rights defenders adopt new strategies
During the Covid-19 health crisis, human rights defenders need to adjust their strategies for preventing and responding to homophobic and transphobic [...]
Cameroon: Rising tide of anti-LGBTI violence
The latest report on homophobic and transphobic violence in Cameroon paints a grim picture of a rising tide of violence against LGBTI Cameroonians, bu [...]
LGBTI in Cameroon: 50 arrested on Covid-19 charges
Police arrested 50 LGBTI people who gathered on May 17 in Bafoussam, western Cameroon, to learn about Covid-19 and to celebrate progress in internatio [...]
IDAHOBIT in Cameroon: Amid Covid-19 crisis, activists demand LGBTI rights
Despite the global health crisis, LGBTI activists in Cameroon figured out how to celebrate IDAHOBIT (International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia [...]
After Cameroon murder: ‘We condemn the prejudiced reporting on homosexuality’
Human rights organizations in Cameroon are protesting a news video that tied a Douala man's murder to his reported homosexuality. From the [...]
Cameroon: Local chief expels four anti-AIDS activists
Four young adults in eastern Cameroon were thrown out of their homes after their work at an anti-AIDS training session came to light. From [...]
Because I’m trans, I live in the shadows in Cameroon
In Cameroon and many other African countries, transgender people encounter curiosity but also hostility when they appear in public. This is the story [...]
Alternatives-Cameroon expands to the nation’s capital
The highly regarded LGBTI advocacy group Alternatives-Cameroon has expanded its work into Yaoundé from its Douala base. From the African Hu [...]
Cameroon family evicts trans daughter who loves men
A young transgender activist in Cameroon has been evicted from her family home because of her gender identity. She is now homeless and needs help. [...]
New shelter for victims of anti-gay violence and bias in Cameroon
The LGBTI advocacy group Camfaids has secured funding and a site to reopen its shelter for victims of anti-LGBTI violence and discrimination. [...]
Cameroon: Parents evict young lesbian, but she’s not alone
So far, the new year has been a time of difficult revelations for Lina, a 20-year-old lesbian living with her family in Yaoundé, Cameroon. [...]
Cameroon: Veteran gay-rights activist Desmond Sone dies of lung ailment
Gay rights activists are mourning the death of Desmond Sone Mbecho, a veteran of the struggle for LGBT rights in Cameroon. From the African H [...]
Anti-gay violence remains a danger in Africa and worldwide
Year in review: Despite signs of progress, 2019 remained a dangerous time for LGBTQ people in Africa and worldwide. In the United S [...]
U.S. ambassadors seek repeal of 69 nations’ anti-gay laws
U.S. ambassadors are promoting LGBTQ rights worldwide even as gay-rights activists blast the Trump administration for anti-LGBTQ domestic policies. [...]
Tally of nations where it’s a crime to be gay rises to 73
The central African nation of Gabon has adopted a law against same-sex sexual relations, running counter to the general trend of countries overturning [...]
Camfaids wins funds to reopen LGBTI safe house in Cameroon
The LGBTI advocacy group Camfaids has secured funds to reopen its safe house in Cameroon even though Camfaids has not yet found a suitable new site fo [...]
Cameroon: Money runs out; LGBTI safe house closes
The LGBTI advocacy group Camfaids has run out of funds to keep its safe house open in Cameroon. From the African Human Rights Media Network [...]