{"id":4917,"date":"2024-09-13T15:59:06","date_gmt":"2024-09-13T19:59:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fosfeminista.org\/news-and-stories\/reclaiming-autonomy-in-cameroon-survivors-of-early-and-forced-marriages-regain-independence-and-build-power\/"},"modified":"2025-09-19T18:12:30","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T22:12:30","slug":"reclaiming-autonomy-in-cameroon-survivors-of-early-and-forced-marriages-regain-independence-and-build-power","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/fosfeminista.org\/fr\/news-and-stories\/reclaiming-autonomy-in-cameroon-survivors-of-early-and-forced-marriages-regain-independence-and-build-power\/","title":{"rendered":"Cameroun : Les survivantes de mariages pr\u00e9coces et forc\u00e9s retrouvent leur ind\u00e9pendance et construisent leur pouvoir"},"template":"","class_list":["post-4917","article","type-article","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","article_type-stories","article_format-stories-of-change","issue_tax-breaking-the-cycle-of-sexual-and-gender-based-violence","issue_legacy-gender-based-violence","location-africa","location-cameroon"],"acf":{"details":{"":null,"article_type":21,"article_format":150,"authors":"","add_button":false,"button_type":"link","button":"","download":"","download_button_text":"","featured_image":3240},"sidebar":{"issues":{"title":"Questions prioritaires","issues":[35]},"locations":{"title":"Localisation","locations":[93,175]},"partners":{"title":"Partenaires","partners":""}},"page_layout":[{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_hero_article","_acfe_flexible_toggle":null,"component_hero_article":{"":null,"anchor_id":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_wysiwyg","_acfe_flexible_toggle":null,"component_wysiwyg":{"content":"Read French version here<\/a>.<\/em>\n\nAs a young girl in Cameroon, Elizabeth had big dreams for her future: she planned to finish secondary school, <\/span>continue on<\/span> to high school and potentially even university before eventually finding a job. Elizabeth (whose name has been changed for safety reasons) described herself then as \u201cfull of life\u201d\u2014ready to continue her personal journey and not at all thinking about the possibility of marriage. However, Elizabeth\u2019s life changed forever when, at the age of 13, she was forced into a marriage with a 47-year-old man.<\/span><\/span>\n\nEvery year, at least <\/span><\/span>12 million girls<\/span><\/span><\/a> around the world are married before they reach the age of 18, and in Cameroon, more than <\/span><\/span>one out of every three women<\/span><\/span><\/a> face intimate partner violence<\/span>.\u00a0 <\/span>In Elizabeth\u2019s case, she was forced into a marriage because her father wanted to access dowry money. Shortly after moving in with her husband, Elizabeth became pregnant with her first child at the age of 14. Not long afterward, her husband began abusing her.<\/span><\/span>\n\nLike Elizabeth, Greta (whose name has also been changed for safety reasons) was forced into a marriage at the age of 13, to a man her father owed money to<\/span>.\u00a0 <\/span>To resist the arrangement, Greta ran away from her family home and upon her return three days later, her would-be husband decided to end their planned marriage. However, Greta\u2019s father beat her severely and permanently disowned her, leaving her in the care of her grandparents.<\/span><\/span>\n\nOver a year later, Greta had mostly recovered from the traumatic experience; she was in her own words, \u201cas happy as all the other girls\u201d her age. But her grandparents soon announced that <\/span>they\u2019d<\/span> accepted the marriage proposal of another older man in town on her behalf. Unwilling to enter again into another forced arrangement, Greta <\/span>attempted<\/span> to run away to her aunt\u2019s house, but she was raped and robbed by a taxi driver while fleeing. Left on the side of the road after being assaulted, Greta was taken in by a passerby who <\/span>brought<\/span> her to ALVF-EN.<\/span><\/span>\n\nThe Cameroon-based <\/span><\/span>Association for Combating Violence against Women or Association de Lutte Contre les Violences <\/span>Faites<\/span> aux Femmes-Extreme Nord (ALVF-EN)<\/span><\/span><\/strong>, a F\u00f2s <\/span>Feminista<\/span> partner, provides counseling, psychosocial, <\/span>psychological<\/span> and legal support, functional literacy, economic support, and empowerment activities for girls who have fled (or have been thrown out of) early or forced marriages.<\/span><\/span>\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_13187\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"]\"A Aissa Doumara leads an educational session for a group of girls and young women, standing in front of posters and tables filled with educational materials.[\/caption]\n\nAfter connecting with ALVF-EN following her assault, Greta was accompanied by a member of the support team to a local hospital, where she was tested for potential sexually transmitted infections and a pregnancy resulting from the incident. ALVF-EN support staff also informed Greta of the consequences of child marriage, which, as of 2016 is illegal in Cameroon, but the law is not regularly enforced. Alongside ALVF-EN staff, Greta facilitated conversations with her grandparents in an attempt to reconcile their relationship.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\n\nWhen Greta\u2019s grandparents still refused to let her come home, and Greta was forced to live in a series of temporary homes and refuge centers, ALVF-EN organized a meeting with the departmental delegate for the Promotion of Women and Family in Cameroon, who summoned Greta\u2019s grandparents to assist in her protection. <\/span>Greta\u2019s family finally understood the impossible situation she was in due to her forced marriages and accepted her back into the family, but only after ALVF-EN and the authorities intervened.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u201cMy grandparents' refusal was not in my favor, [and] I felt rejected and afraid,\u201d Greta said. \u201cBut [ALVF-EN] held meetings with them and made them understand that girls have rights that must be respected.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\n\nSimilar to<\/span> Greta ,<\/span> Elizabeth connected to ALVF-EN following the birth of her sixth child, where she accessed the organization\u2019s care center, therapy groups, and awareness-building classes. Through these offerings, she learned more about how child marriage violates girls\u2019 rights and is illegal in the country. Armed with this knowledge and support from ALVF-EN, Elizabeth convinced her husband to start paying for their children\u2019s school fees, and she started a career of her own to achieve financial independence from her husband.<\/span><\/span>\n
\u201cThanks to the support of ALVF-EN and F\u00f2s <\/span>Feminista<\/span>, I'm now involved in farming and small trade,\u201d Elizabeth said.<\/span><\/span><\/blockquote>\nElizabeth\u2019s and Greta\u2019s stories <\/span>represent<\/span> the tragically common circumstances of young women and girls growing up in Cameroon, but they are also emblematic of the growing movement for greater independence and autonomy among survivors of child marriage and gender-based violence. After ALVF-EN\u2019s supported her in returning home to her grandparents, Greta noticed significant changes in the way her community addressed child marriage.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\n
\u201cToday, <\/span>I'm<\/span> a blossoming young girl in the community and I talk about my story \u2026 <\/span>I'm<\/span> a model of resistance and my story serves as a testimony,\u201d Greta said. \u201cMy family no longer forces me, and my grandmother talks to me and <\/span>advises<\/span> me. <\/span>They've<\/span> changed a lot and have become more understanding.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/blockquote>\nUsing the skills and knowledge she gained by engaging with ALVF-EN, Elizabeth founded a local group that campaigns against early and forced marriages, centering the rights and autonomy of young women and girls. She says that the actions of groups like her own and ALVF-EN have become better understood and more well-respected in recent years. <\/span><\/span>\u201cMy father saw the consequences of child marriage with my niece, who was abandoned and infected by her husband with a serious sexually transmitted infection. He declares that he will never again force a girl into this practice and says that he will respect the rights of girls and women from now on,\u201d Elizabeth said. \u201cHe's very happy that I've fought to become an activist for the cause, an autonomous and dynamic woman.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_13188\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"]\"A Activists, mostly women and young girls, assemble in front of a building during a regional youth forum on gender-based violence and women's sexual and reproductive rights.[\/caption]\n
\u201cALVF-EN continues to assist and guide me so that I can be financially independent and learn a trade,\u201d Greta said. \u201cI\u2019m so grateful to the Association for all its support, which has saved many girls like me from abuse and forced marriage.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/blockquote>\nHaving accessed the services and support from ALVF-EN, both Elizabeth and Greta are now living independent lives in which they spread awareness and cultivate the power of young women and girls in their communities.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>","":null,"anchor_id":""}}]},"yoast_head":"\nCameroon: Survivors of early and forced marriages regain independence and build power - F\u00f2s Feminista<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/fosfeminista.org\/fr\/news-and-stories\/reclaiming-autonomy-in-cameroon-survivors-of-early-and-forced-marriages-regain-independence-and-build-power\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"fr_FR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cameroon: Survivors of early and forced marriages regain independence and build power - F\u00f2s Feminista\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Read French version here. As a young girl in Cameroon, Elizabeth had big dreams for her future: she planned to finish secondary school, continue on to high school and potentially even university before eventually finding a job. Elizabeth (whose name has been changed for safety reasons) described herself then as \u201cfull of life\u201d\u2014ready to continue […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/fosfeminista.org\/fr\/news-and-stories\/reclaiming-autonomy-in-cameroon-survivors-of-early-and-forced-marriages-regain-independence-and-build-power\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"F\u00f2s Feminista\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-09-19T22:12:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/fosfeminista.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Des-survivantes-en-pleine-seances-dapprentissage-en-vue-de-lautonomisation.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"992\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"744\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/fosfeminista.org\\\/news-and-stories\\\/reclaiming-autonomy-in-cameroon-survivors-of-early-and-forced-marriages-regain-independence-and-build-power\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/fosfeminista.org\\\/news-and-stories\\\/reclaiming-autonomy-in-cameroon-survivors-of-early-and-forced-marriages-regain-independence-and-build-power\\\/\",\"name\":\"Cameroon: Survivors of early and forced marriages regain independence and build power - F\u00f2s Feminista\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/fosfeminista.org\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/fosfeminista.org\\\/news-and-stories\\\/reclaiming-autonomy-in-cameroon-survivors-of-early-and-forced-marriages-regain-independence-and-build-power\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/fosfeminista.org\\\/news-and-stories\\\/reclaiming-autonomy-in-cameroon-survivors-of-early-and-forced-marriages-regain-independence-and-build-power\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/fosfeminista.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/09\\\/Des-survivantes-en-pleine-seances-dapprentissage-en-vue-de-lautonomisation.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-09-13T19:59:06+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-19T22:12:30+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/fosfeminista.org\\\/news-and-stories\\\/reclaiming-autonomy-in-cameroon-survivors-of-early-and-forced-marriages-regain-independence-and-build-power\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"fr-FR\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/fosfeminista.org\\\/news-and-stories\\\/reclaiming-autonomy-in-cameroon-survivors-of-early-and-forced-marriages-regain-independence-and-build-power\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"fr-FR\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/fosfeminista.org\\\/news-and-stories\\\/reclaiming-autonomy-in-cameroon-survivors-of-early-and-forced-marriages-regain-independence-and-build-power\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/fosfeminista.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/09\\\/Des-survivantes-en-pleine-seances-dapprentissage-en-vue-de-lautonomisation.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/fosfeminista.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/09\\\/Des-survivantes-en-pleine-seances-dapprentissage-en-vue-de-lautonomisation.jpg\",\"width\":992,\"height\":744,\"caption\":\"Quatre femmes survivantes de violences bas\u00e9es sur le genre, ainsi qu’une facilitatrice portant un gilet orange, sont assises devant des machines \u00e0 coudre \u00e0 l’int\u00e9rieur d’une tente. Elles participent \u00e0 un atelier de couture visant \u00e0 d\u00e9velopper des comp\u00e9tences et \u00e0 les autonomiser, en utilisant des tissus aux motifs color\u00e9s. (Quatre femmes survivantes de violences bas\u00e9es sur le genre, ainsi qu'une facilitatrice portant un gilet orange, sont assises devant des machines \u00e0 coudre \u00e0 l'int\u00e9rieur d'une tente. Elles participent \u00e0 un atelier de couture visant \u00e0 d\u00e9velopper des comp\u00e9tences et \u00e0 les autonomiser, en utilisant des tissus aux motifs color\u00e9s.)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/fosfeminista.org\\\/news-and-stories\\\/reclaiming-autonomy-in-cameroon-survivors-of-early-and-forced-marriages-regain-independence-and-build-power\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/fosfeminista.org\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Cameroon: Survivors of early and forced marriages regain independence and build power\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/fosfeminista.org\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/fosfeminista.org\\\/\",\"name\":\"F\u00f2s Feminista\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/fosfeminista.org\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"fr-FR\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Cameroon: Survivors of early and forced marriages regain independence and build power - F\u00f2s Feminista","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/fosfeminista.org\/fr\/news-and-stories\/reclaiming-autonomy-in-cameroon-survivors-of-early-and-forced-marriages-regain-independence-and-build-power\/","og_locale":"fr_FR","og_type":"article","og_title":"Cameroon: Survivors of early and forced marriages regain independence and build power - F\u00f2s Feminista","og_description":"Read French version here. As a young girl in Cameroon, Elizabeth had big dreams for her future: she planned to finish secondary school, continue on to high school and potentially even university before eventually finding a job. Elizabeth (whose name has been changed for safety reasons) described herself then as \u201cfull of life\u201d\u2014ready to continue […]","og_url":"https:\/\/fosfeminista.org\/fr\/news-and-stories\/reclaiming-autonomy-in-cameroon-survivors-of-early-and-forced-marriages-regain-independence-and-build-power\/","og_site_name":"F\u00f2s Feminista","article_modified_time":"2025-09-19T22:12:30+00:00","og_image":[{"width":992,"height":744,"url":"https:\/\/fosfeminista.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Des-survivantes-en-pleine-seances-dapprentissage-en-vue-de-lautonomisation.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/fosfeminista.org\/news-and-stories\/reclaiming-autonomy-in-cameroon-survivors-of-early-and-forced-marriages-regain-independence-and-build-power\/","url":"https:\/\/fosfeminista.org\/news-and-stories\/reclaiming-autonomy-in-cameroon-survivors-of-early-and-forced-marriages-regain-independence-and-build-power\/","name":"Cameroon: Survivors of early and forced marriages regain independence and build power - F\u00f2s Feminista","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/fosfeminista.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/fosfeminista.org\/news-and-stories\/reclaiming-autonomy-in-cameroon-survivors-of-early-and-forced-marriages-regain-independence-and-build-power\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/fosfeminista.org\/news-and-stories\/reclaiming-autonomy-in-cameroon-survivors-of-early-and-forced-marriages-regain-independence-and-build-power\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/fosfeminista.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Des-survivantes-en-pleine-seances-dapprentissage-en-vue-de-lautonomisation.jpg","datePublished":"2024-09-13T19:59:06+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-19T22:12:30+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/fosfeminista.org\/news-and-stories\/reclaiming-autonomy-in-cameroon-survivors-of-early-and-forced-marriages-regain-independence-and-build-power\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"fr-FR","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/fosfeminista.org\/news-and-stories\/reclaiming-autonomy-in-cameroon-survivors-of-early-and-forced-marriages-regain-independence-and-build-power\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"fr-FR","@id":"https:\/\/fosfeminista.org\/news-and-stories\/reclaiming-autonomy-in-cameroon-survivors-of-early-and-forced-marriages-regain-independence-and-build-power\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/fosfeminista.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Des-survivantes-en-pleine-seances-dapprentissage-en-vue-de-lautonomisation.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/fosfeminista.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Des-survivantes-en-pleine-seances-dapprentissage-en-vue-de-lautonomisation.jpg","width":992,"height":744,"caption":"Quatre femmes survivantes de violences bas\u00e9es sur le genre, ainsi qu’une facilitatrice portant un gilet orange, sont assises devant des machines \u00e0 coudre \u00e0 l’int\u00e9rieur d’une tente. Elles participent \u00e0 un atelier de couture visant \u00e0 d\u00e9velopper des comp\u00e9tences et \u00e0 les autonomiser, en utilisant des tissus aux motifs color\u00e9s. (Quatre femmes survivantes de violences bas\u00e9es sur le genre, ainsi qu'une facilitatrice portant un gilet orange, sont assises devant des machines \u00e0 coudre \u00e0 l'int\u00e9rieur d'une tente. Elles participent \u00e0 un atelier de couture visant \u00e0 d\u00e9velopper des comp\u00e9tences et \u00e0 les autonomiser, en utilisant des tissus aux motifs color\u00e9s.)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/fosfeminista.org\/news-and-stories\/reclaiming-autonomy-in-cameroon-survivors-of-early-and-forced-marriages-regain-independence-and-build-power\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/fosfeminista.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Cameroon: Survivors of early and forced marriages regain independence and build power"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/fosfeminista.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/fosfeminista.org\/","name":"F\u00f2s Feminista","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/fosfeminista.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"fr-FR"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fosfeminista.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/4917","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fosfeminista.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fosfeminista.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/article"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/fosfeminista.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/4917\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4918,"href":"https:\/\/fosfeminista.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/4917\/revisions\/4918"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fosfeminista.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3240"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fosfeminista.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4917"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}