IN EVERYTHING SOMEONE PAYS THE PRICE: WOMEN AND CHILDREN ALWAYS DO

Events in my country for the past seven months have not been the best for a country with a lot of needs (social, political and economic) to be met. The incidents that have characterized this period have recorded a lot of human and material loss as well as arbitrary arrests, intimidation and psychological torture. Many live in fear and uncertainty while others have relocated to other parts of the country for “safety”. School children have not had any effective learning in the English speaking region for this length of time and the psycho-social consequences are enormous.

When all of these started, it was like a power play – a fight reserved for politicians and those who care. While the debates were going on we cared less because we knew it is for the people in high places since it “concerns only them”. What was the business of a tomato seller, school girl or mother in the village in a matter like this? We told ourselves that we are not concerned so long as there are no gun shots or in brief, a civil war.

Today I wish to rewrite the view expressed above. Taking stock of all that has happened so far I realized it was not an issue of power play on politicians and other stakeholders but strictly the loss of women and children especially girls. What the powers that be do is, hold press conferences in air-conditioned offices, hold political rallies or sign decrees on irrelevant issues which benefit a handful of the population. Some unknown group of people it will seem, in response to these acts of insensitivity and tactlessness add to the anarchy by burning down shops, markets, schools or state services to probably show their dissatisfaction with the state. Let’s leave this angle to politicians and look at the situation from a humanitarian perspective.

How can a government and its opinion leaders continue to play around when families are suffering from their game? When the Bamenda food market open space sheds were burnt down women and children whom we thought are not concerned suffered. A woman who sells foodstuff lose goods worth over 600000 frs ($1200) and sadly enough the goods of her two daughters who hawk in wheel barrows though they are graduates were also consumed. Ironically the government compensated the owners of these sheds with 100000 frs ($200) each which made news on the national radio and television-CRTV for weeks. This group, I must admit are lucky because many other businesses and sites have been burnt down during this saga and nobody said anything.

Yes a lot of services have been burnt down as well but that which I couldn’t comprehend is the burning down of the Women Empowerment Centre in Bamenda. This is a centre that offers training development of skills to women and girls to empower them to face life challenges which abound in our community. It hurts because hope to many vulnerable abused and rejected women and girls is gone. Considering the amount of politicking that was done before the centre was given to women it will surely take eternity for it to be replaced.

Enough of this tale of woes!!! Can the people involved in this struggle not swallow their pride, overcome greed and think of the interest of this innocent women and children? Is it too much to ask that taking a look at the number of children who have lost their lives, girls who have been raped, number of unwanted pregnancies and abortions, possible STIs cases as well as families with no source of income because their business premises were burnt, an urgent solution be sought?

If the powers that be in my country still have human feelings and wish to be counted amongst the living, a meaningful and peaceful dialogue should be on their immediate agenda. Window dressing and make believe acts can’t redress the situation.

#SaveOurWomenandChildren.

#CameroonGovernmentBeHuman.