- Youth Health and Reproductive rights situation:
Young People in Cameroon are directly affected by major health challenges nowadays like the HIV/AIDS where they are highest hit with a prevalence rate of about 12.6% far above the national prevalence rate of 5.5%. They also suffer most from Sexually Transmissible infections(STIs) like gonorrhea, syphilis, Chlamydia, hypathysis “B” and “C” which are quite deadly and have untold repercussions on their health (Source Cameroon Demographic and Public Health Census 2004 report published by the Ministry of Public Health , CNLS, National Institute of Statistics etc.)
Also, young girls drop out of school and are forced into early marriages due to poverty, engage in prostitution and are not even fully briefed formally on their sexual and reproductive rights thus with accompanying damaging health consequences.
It is worth noting that, there have been some government efforts seeking solutions to all these health challenges by setting up of programmes and structures (NACC, National Programme for the fight against HIV/AIDS etc). But all these have been void of active youth involvement. The coming of the National Youth Council is raising a lot of hope for the young people but critics think the government is setting it up to manipulate it for their interest (as the constitution was not set by the young people themselves but designed by government, did not make it public and went ahead to organize elections into the various positions of the councils for the youths still without releasing any concrete plan or document in relation to its fate), especially as there are strategic events like the up coming Presidential elections in 2011.
Despite all the above efforts the actual situation on the ground still portray the need for young people in Cameroon to have an independent non tele-guided platform established by the youths and led by them within the civil society. This platform will act with an objective and independent view not directly controlled by the government where their problems and cry could always be expressed/advocated.
The Alliance for Cameroon Youths Associations stands as this pillar of hope to always form alliances with relevant stakeholders to address pertinent problems faced by young people in Cameroon. It is worth quoting view expressed by the head of Division for Social and Urban Environment in EESI, Louisette Mabiom, who said “…youths in Cameroon constitute an important part of the population both in numbers and productivity,….it is very necessary to ,”…re-launch and fight against the phenomenon of social exclusion and segregation of youths….” . It is time for an ultimate and urgent action to unite, form alliances to empower, capacitate and Consolidate Youths Actions for Sustainable Development and giving the civil society a voice /due status in Cameroon.
Our survey portrayed a glaring and ultimate need to actively involve youths in seeking for solutions to their problems (which is still absent in Cameroon) and to create an organization for youths and led by youths. It also showed the need to give the civil society which is still at its infantry stage a voice/ its due place in the Cameroonian Society (Democracy Statistics shows very low ratings for Civil and political liberties in Cameroon which stands at 0.5 and Cameroon occupies 127th of 140; source nation master facts see website http://www.nationmaster.com/country/cm-cameroon/dem-democracy date accessed 30/10/2009). It is worth quoting the Tanzanian Head of State, Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, Current AU Chairperson, on Wednesday 09/09/09 at Dar-es-salam while installing the ECOSOCC Chairperson said “The civil society has now become an integral part of the normal and routine processes of policy formulation, policy implementation, and policy evaluation and monitoring within the African Union”. AC-YA believes, Cameroon therefore, imminently needs the values of democratization and inclusiveness, to give a more holistic and enduring meaning/ significance to its Civil and political liberties.
Given the very difficult and miserable position young people find themselves coupled with the weak civil society in Cameroon today, the Youth Alliance believes, it is the moment for all stakeholders to support, empower and capacitate them/raise their voices for meaningful youth development and strengthen the civil society. In fact there is an absolute and urgent need for immediate action/intervention to address the multitude of problems faced by young people in Cameroon.
Sir/Madam, it is for this reason that we appeal and plead that given the situation analysis of young people in Cameroon, we therefore on behalf of the AC-YA team and our Cameroonian peers table this of appeal for assistance/support to you. We are desperately looking up to you as an influential stakeholder in development to support and empower us. Our appeal for partnership may cover a wide range of scope ranging from technical assistance and full cooperation to build up the Youth Alliance to be able to accurately address the needs of young people within the Cameroon Social, Economic and legal framework as you may decide.