Ending Gender-based Violence through Arts

UNFPA supported XMALEYA's initiative titled « Using arts to strengthen the resilience of communities against GBV» in collaboration with the Canadian High Commission and  Local Youth Corner Cameroon. The popular music band, chose to use their music and fame as medium to sensitize against & stop Gender-based Violence in Cameroon. It is in this light that musical concerts with theatre performance, sensitisation campaigns in schools and on social media, a Facebook Live as well as advocacy towards administrative, community and traditional authorities were organised in Yaounde as well as Garoua. Another activity was the training of women and youth community leaders on basic knowledge on GBV and how to prevent it.

About 200 guests and stakeholders took part in the musical concert held at the French Institute of Yaounde on October 6th 2023 to kick start the activities. These included media persons invited to raise awareness on the issue at hand and what this initiative was about achieve. Besides this concert, a Facebook Live was hosted on the Canadian High Commission's Facebook page with about 300 live viewers. Discussions revolved around the initiative's raison d'être, activities, and objectives. Among other aspects of the discussion, UNFPA presented the GBV landscape,statistics & typology in Cameroon as well as the organisation’s response mechanisms.

As a follow'up with a dire need of reachning the most vulnerable groups, the band travelled to the North Region of Cameroon to run the most impactful part of the campaign. About 10,000 students were sensitized on how to prevent GBV in their communities in secondary schools such as the Pitoa Government High School while about 30 women and youth community leaders were trained on basic knowledge about GBV and how to prevent it. Communion with the general public was quite heartwarming as their presence was very well received by all. The sensitisation campaign, which started on the 27th of November 2023, targeted youths & women in school & out of school setting through community & media outreach with the final activity being a musical concert at the Agriculture Chamber in Garoua.

Despite efforts by various stakeholders, gender-based violence remains a reality in Cameroun with the most vulnerable population found in the northern part of the country and crsis affected zones. Its manifestations include doestic violence, feminicides, early marriages, Female Genital Mutilsation, denial of ressources etc.

UNFPA's support to this initiative was a testament to its commitment to end GBV in Cameroon and reach the Three Transformative Results by 2030.