By Etienne Mainimo Mengnjo
More than 1,599 cases of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) have been recorded across Cameroon between January and April 2026, according to data presented before the National Assembly.
The Minister of Women’s Empowerment and the Family, Marie Therese Abena Ondoa revealed the figures on June 19 during an oral question session in the Lower House of Parliament. She was responding to a query from Hon. Angèle Toukam Tela Epse Sandio, who asked what measures the Ministry is taking to eradicate or reduce femicide in Cameroon.
In responding, Minister Abena Ondoa provided an overview of gender-based violence in the country, noting that recent years have seen numerous cases of murder, abduction, torture, rape and other violations against physical, emotional and sexual integrity.
“In addition to this data from major national surveys, MINPROFF recorded 1,599 cases of violence across the national territory between January and April 2026,” Minister Abena Ondoa said. “This total includes 166 cases of rape, 50 femicide, 13 infanticide, three kidnappings and three cases of physical abuse on children.”
Regarding femicide, the Minister said the phenomenon, though insufficiently documented, is rising and represents an extreme form of gender-based violence.
“Indeed, 56 cases were recorded in 2023, 67 in 2024, approximately 77 in 2025, and, as mentioned above, 50 cases between January and April 2026,” she said. “These are the cases officially recorded and documented by our services. It is obvious that the number at this moment has increased.”
Faced with the worrying situation, Minister Abena Ondoa said the government has taken initiatives to address gender-based violence and femicide, including ratification of international and regional legal instruments for the promotion and protection of women’s and girls’ rights, prevention efforts, law enforcement, support services and institutional framework strengthening.
But she acknowledged persistent obstacles, among them limited access to free and confidential integrated services, weak intersectoral coordination, ongoing security crises in the Far North and Southwest regions, impunity for offenders and lax enforcement of existing rules.
The Minister assured lawmakers that corrective actions are underway, including shepherding a draft gender-based violence law through parliament, reinforcing the coordination body for prevention and response, and upgrading data collection systems.
Acknowledging that the problem has proven resistant to government and partner interventions, Abena Ondoa appealed for a society-wide response.
“Let us denounce the violence, protect the victims, and educate our families and communities about respect for life and equality,” she said.
Abena Ondoa was among five cabinet Ministers who fielded questions from lawmakers that day. The others oversee Transport, Posts and Telecommunications, Public Service and Administrative Reforms, and Public Health.
Health Minister Clarifies Kidney Treatment Costs
During the session, Public Health Minister Dr. Manaouda Malachie response to specific grievances raised by Hons. Daniel Etongo Ngalle, Njume Peter Ambang and Rolande Ngo Issi regarding healthcare mismanagement and kidney disease costs in Cameroon.
“I must formally clarify that the regulatory amount due per year from a patient suffering from chronic kidney disease is not 16,000 FCFA, but rather exactly 15,000 FCFA,” Manaouda said.
He issued an uncompromising warning to hospital administrators, emphasizing that no internal directive authorizes the collection of funds outside official regulatory public revenue protocols and that every transaction must be recorded in official accounting ledgers and yield a certified state receipt.
Addressing widely reported sums of 100,000 to 250,000 FCFA demanded from kidney patients, Manaouda explained that these fees do not represent an illicit deposit, administrative markup or hospital scam
Instead, they constitute the baseline clinical cost for placement of an arteriovenous fistula — a complex, mandatory preliminary surgical procedure required when a patient reaches Stage 4 kidney failure before formal dialysis treatment can begin. Cost disparities across the country are tied to whether the surgery is performed in a first-, second- or third-category state referral hospital.
“Because this specific preliminary procedure, alongside critical companion therapies like erythropoietin injections, are not yet fully subsidized by our current health coverage system, we have initiated an immediate structural review of this funding framework,” Manaouda announced.
He noted that toll-free numbers and quarterly evaluations are being used to identify and sanction rogue hospital personnel misusing social safety nets enacted by the head of state.
Health Minister also placed these systemic challenges within Cameroon’s broader epidemiological transition. He highlighted concurrent outbreaks of Mpox and Ebola alongside an exponential domestic rise in chronic, non-communicable conditions like cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory ailments, advanced diabetes, cancers, and hemoglobinopathies.
However, Dr. Manaouda blamed the shift on rapid lifestyle changes, citing poor diets and sedentary habits as the main preventable causes of chronic organ failure. He called on the National Assembly to push for community-led early screenings and state-funded wellness programs.
Minister Joseph Le of Public Service Details Civil Service Payroll Reform
Minister Joseph Le also fielded questions about “AIGLES,” the state’s new workforce and payroll management software. He described the platform as a major structural reform championed by President Paul Biya to modernize Cameroon’s civil service. Built to replace the outdated SIGIPES and ANTILOPE systems, he stated that AIGLES unifies career and payroll tracking into a single registry.
According to the Minister, the system’s real-time data is already highly accurate: “As of the morning of June 19, 2026, the AIGLES platform precisely displayed 306,159 active public servants and 160,285 pensioners.”
