Cameroon

Demographics

Estimated Total Population:

25 million

World Bank, 2018

Estimated SGM Population:

N/A

N/A

Estimated Total SGM Adult Population:

N/A

N/A

Estimated % of SGM Adults (18+):

N/A

N/A

There are no demographic statistics to our knowledge about SGM populations in Cameroon. The nation’s penal code prosecutes “sexual relations with a person of the same sex” under article 347 bis, which is oftentimes enforced indiscriminately and harshly (Human Rights Watch, 2013). SGM populations in Cameroon face high risks of exposure to HIV/AIDS(Park et al., 2013).

Cameroon's Laws and Policies from ILGA World Report (2019)

RECOGNITION
Marriage for Same-Sex Couples
No
Civil Unions
No
Joint Adoption
No
Second Parent Adoption
No
PROTECTION
Employment Nondiscrimination Laws
No
Broad Protections
No
Criminalization of Violence
No
Ban of Conversion Therapy
No
CRIMINALIZATION
Consensual Same-Sex Acts are Legal?
No
Gender
Any Gender
Max Penalty (Yrs in Prison)
5

Selected Published Studies, Reports, and Other Documents

Acodevo, Action Affirmative, Alcondoms-Cameroun, Alternatives-Cameroun, Association amis du cœur, Association AVAF, ... Synergía -Initiatives for Human Rights. (2017, October). The Violations of the Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Individuals in Cameroon. https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/Treaties/CCPR/Shared%20Documents/CMR/INT_CCPR_CSS_CMR_29079_E.pdf.

Human Dignity Trust. (2020). Cameroon. Human Dignity Trust. https://www.humandignitytrust.org/country-profile/cameroon.

Human Rights Watch. (2013, March 21). Cameroon: Rights Abuses in 'Homosexuality' Prosecutions. Human Rights Watch. https://www.hrw.org/news/2013/03/21/cameroon-rights-abuses-homosexuality-prosecutions.

Human Rights Watch. (2013, March 21). Guilty by Association. Human Rights Watch. https://www.hrw.org/report/2013/03/21/guilty-association/human-rights-violations-enforcement-cameroons-anti.

Kopsa, A. (2014, March 4). Abandoned and Imprisoned for Being Gay in Cameroon. The Nation. https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/abandoned-and-imprisoned-being-gay-cameroon/.

Mendes, L. R. (2019, March). State-Sponsored Homophobia. The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, And Intersex Association. https://ilga.org/downloads/ILGA_State_Sponsored_Homophobia_2019.pdf

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders. (2015, February). Cameroon: Homophobia and Violence Against Defenders Of The Rights Of LGBTQIPersons. https://www.fidh.org/IMG/pdf/report_cameroun_lgbti_eng_final.pdf.

Park, J. N., Papworth, E., Kassegne, S., Moukam, L., Billong, S. C., Macauley, I., ... Baral, S. D. (2013). HIV prevalence and factors associated with HIV infection among men who have sex with men in Cameroon. Journal of the International AIDS Society, 16, 18752. https://doi.org/10.7448/ias.16.4.18752

United Nations. (2012, November 16). Cameroon: UN concerned over reports of arrests of suspected gay and lesbian people.United Nations News. https://news.un.org/en/story/2012/11/425812-cameroon-un-concerned-over-reports-arrests-suspected-gay-and-lesbian-people.

The World Bank. (2019). Cameroon. Data. https://data.worldbank.org/country/cameroon.