DƆNÙESÈ Data Center / Women’s Rights Laws by Country / Cameroon
Central Africa · Country law profile
Cameroon: women’s rights and civic space laws
Cameroon has ratified CEDAW, its Optional Protocol and the Maputo Protocol, and its Constitution (Article 45) gives ratified treaties precedence over national laws. It scores 44.48 on the World Bank’s 2026 legal frameworks measure, and there is no legislated gender quota for parliament, where women held 33.9% of seats in the legislature elected in 2020. Cameroon acceded to the Budapest Convention on cybercrime in December 2023. Civic space deteriorated around the October 2025 presidential election, with dozens of protesters killed and up to 2,000 people detained.
At a glance
| Capital | Yaoundé |
|---|---|
| Legal system | Bijural system combining civil law and common law, with customary law |
| Official languages | French, English |
Key indicators
33.9% (61 of 180)Women in National Assembly (2026)
44.48World Bank WBL 2026 legal frameworks score (2026)
60.0World Bank WBL 2024 (WBL 1.0) score (2024)
Regional and international treaties
| Treaty | Status | Reservations or notes |
|---|---|---|
| Maputo Protocol | signed 25/07/2006 / ratified 13/09/2012 / deposited 28/12/2012 | |
| CEDAW | signed 6 June 1983 / ratified 23 August 1994 | |
| CEDAW Optional Protocol | acceded 7 January 2005 | |
| African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child | signed 16/09/1992 / ratified 05/09/1997 / deposited 23/06/1999 | |
| ILO C190 (Violence and Harassment) | Not ratified (absent from 2026 ratification lists) | |
| ILO C100 (Equal Remuneration) | ratified 25 May 1970 | |
| ILO C111 (Discrimination, Employment and Occupation) | ratified 13 May 1988 | |
| ICCPR | acceded 27 June 1984 | |
| Kampala Convention | ratified 06/04/2015 / deposited 24/05/2017 | |
| AU Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection (Malabo) | signed 12/08/2021 / not ratified (AU status list dated 02/02/2026) | |
| Budapest Convention on Cybercrime | became a party (69th) on 15 December 2023 |
Constitution
| Quotas or parity | No reserved seats or legislated electoral quota for women (IPU Parline). |
|---|
National laws
Political participation and quotas
No specific quota law
IPU Parline records no reserved seats or electoral quota for women in the National Assembly.
Gaps: No woman has served as Speaker.
Source: data.ipu.org
Gender-based and domestic violence
No specific domestic violence law (Law No. 2016/007 of 12 July 2016 relating to the Penal Code applies)
Domestic violence is prosecuted under general Penal Code offences such as assault, and section 358-1 punishes the unlawful eviction of a spouse from the marital home with two to five years of imprisonment.
Gaps: No legislation specifically criminalises domestic violence.
Source: theadvocatesforhumanrights.org
Rape and sexual offences
Law No. 2016/007 of 12 July 2016 relating to the Penal Code, section 296
Criminalises rape of a woman.
Gaps: The Penal Code does not expressly cover marital rape and the definition does not include sexual violence against men.
Source: theadvocatesforhumanrights.org
Sexual harassment
Law No. 2016/007 of 12 July 2016 relating to the Penal Code, section 302-1
Criminalises sexual harassment.
Source: theadvocatesforhumanrights.org
Female genital mutilation
Law No. 2016/007 of 12 July 2016 relating to the Penal Code, section 277-1
Criminalises female genital mutilation.
Gaps: Enforcement and support services for survivors remain weak.
Source: theadvocatesforhumanrights.org
Child marriage and age of marriage
Law No. 2016/007 of 12 July 2016 relating to the Penal Code, section 356
Sets 18 as the minimum age of marriage for both sexes and punishes forced and child marriage.
Gaps: The 1981 civil status ordinance, amended in 2011, still allows girls to marry at 15, and 30 percent of girls marry before 18.
Source: girlsnotbrides.org
Child marriage and age of marriage
Ordinance No. 81-02 of 1981 on civil status registration, as amended in 2011
Governs the registration of marriages and sets the civil minimum age at 15 for girls and 18 for boys, with presidential waivers possible.
Gaps: It conflicts with the 18-year minimum in the 2016 Penal Code.
Source: girlsnotbrides.org
Harmful practices
No specific law on breast ironing or widowhood rites
Breast ironing and degrading widowhood rites are not specifically criminalised.
Gaps: Civil society has recommended that both practices be made specific offences.
Source: theadvocatesforhumanrights.org
Family and personal status
Civil Code, articles 213 and 215, and Ordinance No. 81-02 of 1981, article 74
Govern spouses’ rights and duties in marriage, which may be monogamous or polygamous.
Gaps: The husband is head of household and chooses the residence, and he may object to his wife working in a separate occupation.
Source: theadvocatesforhumanrights.org
Family and personal status
Law No. 2016/007 of 12 July 2016 relating to the Penal Code, section 361 (adultery)
Criminalises adultery.
Gaps: Women can be imprisoned for any relationship outside marriage while polygamy remains lawful for men.
Source: theadvocatesforhumanrights.org
Land and property
Civil Code, articles 1421 and 1428 (marital property)
Regulate the administration of community property and of each spouse’s personal property during marriage.
Gaps: The husband has sole control of common property and also administers his wife’s personal property.
Source: theadvocatesforhumanrights.org
Abortion and sexual and reproductive health
Law No. 2016/007 of 12 July 2016 relating to the Penal Code, section 337
Criminalises abortion, with a penalty for the woman of 15 days to one year of imprisonment and/or a fine.
Source: theadvocatesforhumanrights.org
Girls’ education
Law No. 98/004 of 14 April 1998 to lay down guidelines for education in Cameroon
Sets the general framework and guiding principles of the education system.
Source: unprpd.org
Trafficking
Law No. 2011/024 of 14 December 2011 relating to the fight against trafficking in persons and slavery
Criminalises trafficking and slavery. It also criminalises debt bondage. These offences carry up to 20 years of imprisonment, with aggravated penalties when the victim is under 15 or the offender is a relative or guardian.
Source: warnathgroup.com
Online violence and cybercrime
Law No. 2010/012 of 21 December 2010 relating to cybersecurity and cybercriminality in Cameroon
Defines and punishes offences committed through electronic communications and information systems.
Source: dataprotection.africa
Data protection
Law No. 2024/017 of 23 December 2024 relating to personal data protection in Cameroon
Creates Cameroon’s first dedicated data protection framework, with rights to information and rectification of personal data.
Gaps: It was unclear whether the data protection authority had been set up.
Source: dataprotection.africa
Women and girls with disabilities
Law No. 2010/002 of 13 April 2010 on the protection and promotion of persons with disabilities
Grants persons with disabilities rights to education and employment. It also grants rights to housing measures. It punishes discrimination with three to six months of imprisonment and fines.
Gaps: The law has no provisions on equality between women and men or on women and girls with disabilities.
Source: unprpd.org
Same-sex relations
Law No. 2016/007 of 12 July 2016 relating to the Penal Code, section 347-1
Criminalises consensual sexual relations between persons of the same sex, women and men alike.
Source: theadvocatesforhumanrights.org
Civic space
| Notes | After the 12 October 2025 presidential election, UN sources reported 48 protesters killed by security forces and a pro bono lawyers’ pool documented up to 2,000 detainees, including minors. The OHCHR warned in September 2025 that civic space restrictions risked undermining the election. An opposition leader died in custody in December 2025. |
|---|
Recent developments
- 2026. National Assembly mandate extended to 20 December 2026; legislative elections scheduled for early 2027.
- December 2025. An opposition leader died in custody.
- 12 October 2025. Presidential election, followed by protests from 26 October; Paul Biya declared winner on 27 October and sworn in on 6 November.
- 15 December 2023. Cameroon became the 69th party to the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime.
Reforms recommended
Reforms recommended by the African Commission, UN treaty bodies or national organisations, as reported in the sources below.
- Release people detained for peaceful protest after the 2025 election and ensure due process for all detainees (Human Rights Watch).
- Investigate killings of protesters by security forces in October and November 2025 (Human Rights Watch, OHCHR).
- Adopt measures to raise women’s representation, since no electoral quota or reserved seats exist (IPU Parline).
- Ratify ILO Convention 190 and the Malabo Convention (signed 2021).
Being verified. RFLD is checking the laws on the following topics against official texts and will add them to this page: inheritance and succession, labour and maternity, social protection, nationality, access to justice and legal aid, older persons, human rights defenders. Corrections and documents are welcome at programs@rflgd.org.
African Union treaties
Status of 29 African Union treaties as recorded in the official AU status lists published by the African Union Commission. The date of each list is shown: a ratification deposited after that date may not appear yet. 10 of the 13 human rights and governance treaties below are ratified.
Other AU treaties (16)
Sources (23)
- data.ipu.org · CM LC01
- documents1.worldbank.org · P179153 156eebab c7a8 46ea aefa ab7ca80708a0
- wbl.worldbank.org · WBL2024 Economy Scores
- au.int · 37077 sl PROTOCOL TO THE AFRICAN CHARTER ON HUMAN AND PEO…
- treaties.un.org · ViewDetails
- treaties.un.org · iv 8 b.en
- au.int · 36804 sl AFRICAN CHARTER ON THE RIGHTS AND WELFARE OF THE…
- ntucphl.org · article 3
- hrlibrary.umn.edu · ratification cameroon
- treaties.un.org · iv 4.en
- au.int · 36846 sl AFRICAN UNION CONVENTION FOR THE PROTECTION AND …
- au.int · 29560 sl AFRICAN UNION CONVENTION ON CYBER SECURITY AND P…
- coe.int · cameroon becomes 69th party to convention on cybercrime
- fao.org · en
- data.ipu.org · data on women
- hrw.org · cameroon killings mass arrests follow disputed elections
- hrw.org · cameroon
- ohchr.org · cameroon
- theadvocatesforhumanrights.org · UPR stakeholder report on violence against women, 2023
- girlsnotbrides.org · Girls Not Brides Child Marriage Atlas: Cameroon
- unprpd.org · UNPRPD situational analysis Cameroon
- warnathgroup.com · Text of Law No. 2011/024
- dataprotection.africa · Data Protection Africa: Cameroon
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Information verified as of October 2026. This page is for information and advocacy and is not legal advice. Laws change: check the official text before relying on it. Part of the DƆNÙESÈ Data Center of the Women Leaders Network for Development (RFLD). See also the Maputo Protocol Hub and the Maputo Barometer.