THE FIGHT AGAINST EXCESSIVE CHILD ABUSE IN CAMEROON

ABSTRACT

Excessive child abuse has been noticeably rising in Cameroon. Children continue to experience different types of torturous abuses physically, psychologically, sexually and multiple forms of neglect in our social settings despite the ratification of many conventions protecting the rights of children in Cameroon and a substantial number of penal laws prohibiting and sanctioning excessive child abuse. To understand the persistent rise in child abuse, this research has as main objective to determine the effectiveness of the law in the fight against excessive child abuse in Cameroon. To this end, we adopted a qualitative research methodology and consulted primary and secondary sources of data.  Using the doctrinal approach, our data findings revealed that the laws enacted to fight against excessive child abuse have been ineffective owing to a plethora of factors such as cultural indifference, ignorance, corruption, Eurocentric laws, inadequate level of sensitization, poverty, political instability amongst others. Base on this we mainly recommended that the government should intensify sensitization, provide resources for social support of victims of child abuse, work with local leaders against repugnant traditions amongst others. On this wise, we concluded that the laws have remain inefficient