Trafficking in people a growing problem in Cameroon, says the Catholic Church

Yaoundé, Cameroon – justice for victims of trafficking in Cameroon was prevented by social stigma, inadequate financial resources, as well as the lack of clarity of laws.

During a workshop on the trafficking of persons organized by the Commission of Justice and Peace of the Diocese Kumbo said that Camerun is a source, transit and destination for human trafficking, noting that this modern slavery has increased as a result of the separatist conflict in the English regions of Cameroon.

With the support of the miseler – the organization of the German Catholic bishops for cooperation for development – the workshop brought together judges, lawyers, journalists, civil society and strategic partners together to hear testimonies from some survivors of human trafficking.

Francisca Awah, a survivor of human trafficking and organ trafficking, shared a scary story of his servitude in the country of the Middle East in Kuwait.

“I did my master in Norway in human rights and multiculturalism,” Awah started. After completing his studies, he returned to Cameroon to cope with the harsh realities of unemployment in a country where about 3.7 percent of people looking for a job cannot find one.

“I was seen as a failure in my society to go to a prestigious country like Norway and to return without money and without a job. It was really shameful, ”she said.

The stigma of failure was overwhelming, so when Awah prevented by an agent helping people go to Kuwait, he jumped on the occasion.

The agent told him that there is an opportunity for a Kuwait English teacher. The salary would be $ 1000, with the additional advantage that the school offers the transport from her residence to school and back.

“It took me less than two minutes to decide -this was a great opportunity to regain the pride of the family and to give them the prestige to have someone who lived abroad,” she said Cruel.

At the landing in Kuwait, after a transit from Addis Ababa, Francisca quickly realized that the journey that would be far from smooth. Alongside her, on the plane, there were women from Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and Cameroon, each headed for Kuwait with a variety of dreams – some to work as nurses, others in supermarkets or as English teachers.

Awah remembered the seven-hour ordeal at the airport, where the immigration officers confiscated their passports and denied their basic comfort.

“No food, no water, without stay and without leaning on the walls,” she said, painting an image of exhaustion and despair. Despite this treatment, Francisca and the others persevered, eventually completing immigration procedures.

Then she was raised by a man, apparently soldier, at home. Awah is difficult for him to reveal the fine details of his terrible experience in that house, but he suffered not only physical torture, he suffered sexual abuse and resulting psychological trauma.

She asked to leave that house and be returned to the agency that coordinated her departure from Cameroon. Her request has been granted. The agency in question functioned exactly as a market.

“While I was sitting there, I noticed people standing by the door and shouting things like” English “or” Ghana “. When they said “English”, it meant looking for a maid to speak English, “she said.

That’s how Awah ended in another house, just to deal with a similar life of rape, torture and abuse.

However, he managed to escape the Central Embassy and established a contact with the Commission of Justice and Peace of the Archdiocese of Bamenda in Cameroon. The charity of the church then tied it with the national telephone line of human trafficking, which is operated by Polaris, in the United States. Finally, another US-Freedom for All NGO, based in New York, got in touch with it.

“I was waiting for my flight from the Commission for Peace and Justice, but fortunately, Freedom for All, based in New York, covered the cost of my ticket. I did not even spend a whole week at the Embassy of the Central Republic before returning home, ”she said Cruel.

Unfortunately, Awah’s experience is not unique. Cameroon serves as a source, transit and destination for human trafficking, often involving strong actors. Conflicts in progress in the country’s English language regions have aggravated the crisis further.

On March 11, 2025, the workshop on human trafficking in Yaundé, the experts emphasized the alarming sphere of this problem. The global trafficking trade of people has dropped from about $ 32 billion in 2011 to over $ 150 billion today.

Lukong Isidore Njodzeven, the coordinator of the Diocesan deputy for the Commission of Justice and Peace in the Diocese of Kumbo, said Cruel The diocese has always been the weak point when it comes to human trafficking, but that has been aggravated with the separatist crisis that balance the English language regions.

“The scale of human trafficking in these two divisions ((Kumo Diocese covers the BUI and Donga Mantung divisions or administrative areas) is alarmingly large,” he said.

He described the two divisions as “capturing areas in which many girls and women are trafficked in other cities in Cameroon and beyond.”

“This problem has been aggravated by the ongoing socio-political crisis,” he said.

“The crisis led to the large scale, to burn the houses and to separate the countless families. According to UNICEF reports, about 800,000 children are out of school. This makes them particularly vulnerable to operation. Moreover, the crisis has intensified poverty, further weakening the resistance to traffic and operation, ”said Njodzeven.

However, victims are rarely granted to justice, prevented by the stigma of society, financial barriers and a legal framework that requires clarity.

Njodzeven said that the church offered the survivors a rescue line: offering psychological care and offering economic ability.

“It is necessary to address the problem from the roots,” he said Cruel.