MANIFESTO OF THE GIRLS OF CAMEROON FOR THE RESPECT OF THEIR RIGHTS
It is urgent to feminize child’s rights
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Highlights
We, the girls of Cameroon, declare our unwavering commitment to our rights, our dignity, and our future. We call on you to join us in building a country where every girl lives safely, is valued and empowered, free from all forms of discrimination, and where she not only survives, but thrives and flourishes. Our cause is urgent, our needs are pressing, and our rights are non-negotiable!
We demand that all girls finally have access to inclusive, quality education. Education is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty, ignorance, and inequality. An educated girl means a thriving community, where health improves, economic growth accelerates, and social stability is strengthened. We therefore call for sustained investment in schools, gender-sensitive teacher training, and the removal of all financial, social, or cultural barriers that prevent girls from attending and remaining in school.
We must grow up without fear or violence, with respect and protection for our rights. We call for the abolition of harmful practices that hurt our bodies, minds, and souls in the name of tradition. Early marriages, pregnancies, genital mutilation, and all forms of violence and abuse rob us of our childhood, our health, our education, and our potential. We demand uncompromising laws and aggressive awareness campaigns for zero tolerance, and that perpetrators be held accountable for their actions. We will not tolerate ANY exceptions, ANY excuses!!!
We demand our rights to empowerment and equal opportunities. We, the girls of Cameroon, are not only the leaders of tomorrow, but also the actors of today who actively and significantly contribute to society. It is time to consider us as full partners. We have dreams, ideas, and rights. We can make our own choices about our bodies, our education, and our future. We demand respect for our dignity in our homes, schools, and communities so that we can flourish with confidence and self-esteem.
But we still need opportunities. We therefore demand equal access to vocational training, technology, cultural and sporting activities, and leadership roles! National policies must actively encourage our empowerment and participation in decision-making.
On behalf of the thousands of girls we represent, we demand:
To our parents and guardians:
Ban all forms of corporal punishment at home and at school! Discipline is much more effective when it is based on caring and respectful interactions; dialogue is more fruitful than violence, beatings, and humiliation. We demand open conversations that reinforce our development and values, and we expect you to set an example of respectful behaviour, kindness, and empathy. Share your wisdom, values, and culture with us through calm discussions marked by respect and patience.
To our brothers:
Support your sisters and friends by speaking out against violence, harassment, discrimination, and stereotypes that devalue girls. Don't turn a blind eye to the challenges we girls face, from early marriage to all forms of oppression. You are our allies for change. Play soccer with us, instead of relegating us to household chores! Your voices echoing ours will break down harmful and degrading beliefs. Be our allies, don't become our oppressors.
To our teachers, neighbours, community leaders, and religious leaders:
Silence about the violence we experience is complicit silence. Report abuse and take action! You have a moral obligation to create safe spaces where we can speak out without fear, seek justice, and obtain redress. We will not let violence define our lives.
To the Government:
Our lives, dignity, and future depend on your immediate and sincere commitment. The time for promises is over, as is the time for leniency toward aggressors. Now is the time for decisive action to eradicate all forms of violence, discrimination, and inequality that threaten us.
Be bold and pioneering alongside us by finally promoting a national policy that supports our rights. Allocate resources to create safe and inclusive environments where girls can thrive without fear or oppression. Invest relentlessly in gender-sensitive policies, enforce laws without complacency, and implement consistent programs to combat violence and harmful and violent practices.
At the United Nations:
As advocates for girls' rights, we demand binding commitments to gender equality, backed by concrete action plans and fueled by tangible results.
Use your influence to support governments in fulfilling their international obligations, such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, the Maputo Protocol, and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.
To all:
Celebrate the extraordinary achievements of girls. Hear the voices of girls from Cameroon's ten regions, who tomorrow will represent half of the country's population and who deserve to build a future free from violence and rich in opportunities. It is urgent that we combine women's rights.
This Manifesto was drafted by a working group composed of girls as part of the girls' movement, based on consultations conducted during the Caravan, which travelled through the ten regions of Cameroon in July 2025 and collected the testimonies and expectations of more than 5,600 adolescent girls. It was officially presented to the Minister for Women's Empowerment and the Family in partnership with the MINESEC, MINEDUB, MINJEC and MINAS, and with the support of UN Women, UNFPA, UNHCR, WFP and the FEICOM, at the National Forum of the Girls' Movement, held under her auspices in Yaoundé on November 28, 2025.
Are you a young Cameroonian girl, or would you like to support this Manifesto of the Girls of Cameroon? You can express your agreement with or support for this text on change.org .
