Community rights awareness reaches journalism students at Siantou University
In February and March 2017, IBJ conducted an ambitious campaign in Cameroon designed to raise awareness about human rights, criminal procedure and the functioning of the justice system. The program was carried out in the context of IBJ’s Torture Prevention Program in Francophone Africa supported by the Government of Canada. The Cameroonian NGO Advocacy Group, which is led by IBJ JusticeMakers Fellow Yvon Mabofe, implemented the project on IBJ’s behalf.
In a span of 4 weeks, over 2 million people were reached through the campaign. The campaign used a two-pronged approach to raise awareness as widely as possible. The two main activities were:
- A radio show called “La Minute du Droit” (The Minute of Rights) which ran twice a week for four weeks on the station Radio Campus. Each week had a particular theme: arrest (Week 1), interrogation (Week 2), the right to a lawyer (Week 3), and the functioning of the criminal justice system (Week 4).
- 3 community rights awareness events explaining the same four themes – the procedure of arrest, interrogation, the right to a lawyer, and the functioning of the criminal justice system – at several Cameroonian schools, universities, small businesses and government administrations.
Members of a small business learn about legal rights in Yaounde
Awareness session for stewardship personnel of the presidency of the Republic of Cameroon
Experts from the Cameroon Bar Association, the University of Yaoundé II, journalists, opinion leaders, and human right experts made valuable contributions both to the radio show and to the community rights awareness events. With a diverse range of organizers and participants, the campaign engaged over 2 million people, especially youth. Over 85,000 students listened to the radio show, and information sessions were held for students from the Lycée bilingue d’Ekounou, Siantou University and the University of Yaoundé. Both the radio show and the community awareness events generated significant interest, particularly among women and educational institutes.
Team of experts during the second emission of “The Minute of Rights”
Want to listen to the radio show firsthand? You can now listen to the 8 emissions of The Minute of Rights directly on the IBJ website!
The Minute of Rights, Emission 1: Arrest
The Minute of Rights, Emission 2: Arrest, continued
The Minute of Rights, Emission 3: Interrogation
The Minute of Rights, Emission 4: Interrogation, continued
The Minute of Rights, Emission 5: The Right to a Lawyer
The Minute of Rights, Emission 6: The Right to a Lawyer, continued
The Minute of Rights, Emission 7: The Functioning of the Justice System in Cameroon
The Minute of Rights, Emission 8: The Functioning of the Justice System in Cameroon, continued
Banners, posters and flyers distributed at the awareness campaigns
IBJ would like to extend its sincere thanks to the following organizations and experts for making the campaign possible:
- Advocacy Group
- L’Ecole instrument pour la paix – Cameroun
- Radio Campus UY2
- Siantou University
- Lycée Bilingue d’Ekounou
- The business Nkot et fils
- Mr Yvon Mabofe, head of Advocacy Group and IBJ JusticeMakers Fellow
- Mr Beyas, Cameroon Bar Association lawyer
- Mr Baye, Cameroon Bar Association lawyer
- Ms Estelle Manga, Cameroon Bar Association lawyer
- Mr Philippe Nouka, Cameroon Bar Association lawyer
- Cabral Libii, human rights expert, journalist and professor at the University of Yaoundé II
- Joseph Raoul Makondo, human rights expert, professo rat the University of Yaoundé II
- Chamberlin, journalist at Radio Campus.
