Cameroon’s first daughter calls for legalization of same-sex relations

On July 9, interview Brenda Biya, 27, the daughter of Cameroonian President Paul Biya, revealed her relationship with another woman in an interview with a French newspaper as she called for consensual homosexual acts to be legalised in her country.

Biya’s coming forward is brave because Cameroon criminal law Homosexual acts are punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to 200,000 CFA francs ($330). Arbitrary arrests, physical and verbal attacks, and torture of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons, or those perceived as such, are a form of sexual assault. It is common in Cameroon and appears to be on the rise.

Brenda Bea is a human rights advocate with a problem.

Under her father’s rule, many human rights violations occurred, such as Imprisonment of political leaders, Murders and disappearances In the southwest and northwest regions, and corruptioninclude graft.

Nonetheless, Biya’s statement may help change perceptions of the harsh environment for LGBT people. In May 2021, two transgender women in Cameroon were Sentenced to five years in prison They were detained in a men’s prison on charges of “attempted homosexuality” and “public indecency”. After their arrest, military police beat them, threatened to kill them, interrogated them without the presence of a lawyer, and forced them to sign statements.

Although Cameroon’s LGBT community has increasingly mobilized for their rights, many told Human Rights Watch that they still live in fear of being attacked or arrested. They said that often the only way to escape persecution is to flee and seek asylum in other countries. Most LGBT migrants also face multiple forms of discrimination, including Racist and xenophobic violence.

Brenda Biya lives outside Cameroon and is in a good position to come out without immediate danger. But her recent comments about criminalizing homosexuality are reasonable and should be heard. After the interview, an anti-LGBT organization in Cameroon Criminal proceedings were initiated against Biya.

Brenda Biya can now consider speaking out about other serious human rights violations that occurred and continue to occur during her father’s 42-year rule. Cameroonian lawmakers should urgently repeal discriminatory provisions in the penal code and act in accordance with the constitution and international conventions to guarantee equal rights and justice for all.