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As part of Amnesty International’s 16 days of activism against gender-based violence campaign the president of the Ex Students of Saker Association, USA (EXSSA-USA), Ms. Sally Bame Kum sent out an email on the organization listserv sensitizing members on the need to be alert to domestic violence because it continues to be a silent pestilence even among educated women. ExSSANS were encouraged to speak up and speak out. As an example, the organization’s website carried the story of one of its members, Ms. Lizzy Kombe,  who is a survivor of domestic violence (See Ms. Kombe’s story below). To round up our contribution to this campaign to end violence against women, ExSSA USA’s Ms. Judith Caspa Foyabo had the privilege of chatting with Mrs. Beatrice Titanji (National Vice President of Nkumu Fed-Fed, NFF in Cameroon) to get an insight into her role as an international activist for women….

EXSSA-USA: What brings you to the United States at this time of the year?
Titanji:
I was invited by Vital Voices (a US- based organization based in Washington DC.) early this year to attend a two-week conference on women leadership themed “Global Freedom Exchange.”

EXSSA-USA: How did your organization succeed in bringing women’s issues particularly gender-based violence and violence against women to the forefront given the male dominated nature of our society?
Titanji:
Our society i.e. Cameroon is yet to recognize the woman as a partner in the development process as should be the case in the 21st century. My organization found its way to the forefront of this patriarchal society through initial benevolent activities and the need to empower the woman financially. It is through this that we found that once a woman is empowered financially, educationally and otherwise, she can do just as well as her male counterpart. This led us to prominence when in 2011 we took the case of child trafficking to the Cameroon National Assembly which saw the signing of legislation against child trafficking. At the time, it was the child but now it is the human being in general. Though as women, our strategy is still on the woman who is most of the time abused and assaulted. We believe that our society has seen what we have done and can do and hope the policies will bring more women to the forefront of important issues be they political or otherwise.

EXSSA-USA: Prior to this awareness campaign, how did women typically handle these human rights issues?
Titanji:
In the past, many women concentrated on feeding their families through petty trading and farming and human rights awareness only comes through education which many of them lacked. Education was not for the girl child as men sought to send their boys (potential heirs) to school and their daughters into early marriages which they thought could bring them money though bride prize. This could not give satisfaction to several families and through education, and globalization, educated women fared better and brought in best practices from around the world to implement in the country.

EXSSA-USA: What strategies did you employ to sustain the discussion and how far?
Titanji:
Discussions to promote awareness towards women’s violence have just begun in three regions; North West, South West and the Littoral through Task Forces that received training with Vital Voices and US State Department. We are doing a lot of sensitization through public talks in and around the country; in schools, social groups and churches. Sustainability will require money to put willing advocates and the Task Forces on the road. For now, the government is yet to make that happen but committed members of NGOs like us have been working and hope groups like EXSSA will soon join us. I see this interview as a good start and hope you will be more concrete and connect with us for details on the way forward.

EXSSA-USA: In your article on Perspectives From Cameroon in “Vital Voices” you mentioned Nabula, a labor trafficking survivor who graduated from your program. How do you obtain the necessary resources to further empower these women given the harsh economic environment in Cameroon?
Titanji:
Cameroon is not the poorest country in the world and we have lots of natural and human resources that if properly harnessed can make us one of the strongest economies in Africa. To answer your question, our resources to run the (Gwan Multipurpose Centre) GMC in Bali Nyonga comes from members’ contributions and fundraising activities. We have two buildings that house trainees and at the end of every training session, we offer kits that enable them to start off life in their communities. I will like to repeat that the economic environment is not as harsh at home as you think here in the US. One needs to work hard wherever one finds her/himself and if you work hard at home; you can make it just as in the US. All of you work so hard to make ends meet and so it is back home.

EXSSA-USA: You also mentioned the lassitude exhibited by African governments towards violence against women. In your opinion, how has that impacted the progress in fighting against gender-based violence?
Titanji:
Yes, there is the lassitude in many governments because many people the world over feel that women get into sex trafficking out of the love for it but there is so much more. What efforts do mothers and fathers make to give comfortable lives to their children? It’s not just about bringing forth many children but about raising them rightly. Do the children eat well, talk with their parents and have the basics of life? Once the nitty-gritty is not looked into, girls run away to the streets and boys get into robbery, become pimps etc. etc.

EXSSA-USA: Given the high rates of maternal mortality in many African countries, how would you address this form of violence towards women with respect to their governments?
Titanji:
I do not think that the high rate of maternal mortality can be blamed on governments alone. I rather see the woman directly involved in this. It is she who bears the child and should be taught to do so only when it is right. This is why we have gone and are going for the education and empowerment of the girl. Once she is educated, she will be able to say No or Yes at the right moment. She will be able to go for pre and post natal checks and have the number of kids she will be able to raise adequately with or without a husband. Education as we see it is the key to the success of the woman and we think the future of Africa lies in the hand of the woman.

EXSSA USA: Thank you Mrs. Titanji for your time. Your organization can count on ExSSA USA as a natural partner in the campaign against gender based violence not just during this #16Days and #GBVTeachin campaign but for always. After all, ExSSA is all about harnessing the potential of the girl-child and woman.