My Letter to the Ministry of Women's Empowerment and the Family, Cameroon

Dear Minister of Women's Empowerment and the Family,

I salute your efforts in making Cameroon more homely for women.

However, something has been on my mind and I am here to share it with you. It is the domestic violence that several women still go through.

Emerencia is my brother-in-law's wife. She has been married for over ten years and marriage has been the most bitter experience she ever had.

Despite her hard work and commendable home making skills, her husband treats her like a puppet that is only good for two things: sex and beatings.

One day, she brought her hospital book for me to go through and I was moved to tears. 90 percent of her consultation notes read: "Assaulted by husband".

She has a chest pain that has refused to go. This chest pain is a result of the regular punching she goes through.

She is an ambitious woman but the state of her body may not allow her live long enough to achieve all she hopes to achieve in life.

Emerencia is not alone in this predicament. There are several other women, especially those from rural areas who suffer in the hands of the wolves they call husbands.

These women need a way out and your ministry is the platform that should bring a solution.

There should be a massive campaign against domestic violence. It should be on television, radio, in newspapers, on billboards, in churches, in neighborhoods, in villages. It should be anywhere and everywhere that matters.

When you do this, even a cockroach will know that domestic violence is unacceptable in Cameroon. Let the men be aware of what they will suffer if they mistreat their wives again. Let every culprit be duly punished.

I am tired of seeing men commit those barbaric acts and get away with it. Please put an end to this madness.

I long to see a Cameroon in which men in urban and rural areas will deeply respect their wives and treat them as their own bodies.

Best of regards as you continue your good work.

Precious Meshi Nkeih