Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
List of issues in relation to the fourth periodic report of Cameroon *
I.General information
1.In addition to the occasional workshops listed in the State party’s fourth report (E/C.12/CMR/4), please say to what extent the training programmes for lawyers and judges cover the implementation of human rights treaties in domestic law, including the justiciability of economic, social and cultural rights, and what impact those programmes have had.
2.In the light of recent events, please describe the measures taken to protect human rights defenders, including defenders of economic, social and cultural rights, from any act of reprisal. Please provide information on the number of complaints received, cases prosecuted and tried, and convictions, in cases of reprisals against human rights defenders, including proceedings under Act No. 2014/28 on the punishment of terrorist acts.
II.Issues relating to the general provisions of the Covenant (arts. 1–5)
Right to freely dispose of natural wealth and resources (art. 1 (2))
3.Please provide information, including statistical data, on the impact of the measures mentioned in paragraphs 29 to 32 of the State party’s fourth report on indigenous peoples’ enjoyment of the right to work, social security, a decent life, adequate nutrition, health and education. Please explain how the State party reconciles its policy of biodiversity conservation with the obligation to respect the rights of indigenous peoples, including the right to free, prior and informed consent to projects affecting them and related to natural resources on which they depend for food and livelihood. Please also provide a full list of prior consultation procedures carried out in the past five years, for example in relation to the granting of concessions for investment projects, or to project implementation, and including the outcome of the procedures and any compensation or damages awarded to affected communities and victims.
Maximum available resources (art. 2 (1))
4.Please provide information on developments over the past five years in:
(a)The percentage of Government revenue derived from value added tax and income tax;
(b)Public expenditure as a percentage of gross domestic product and the share of total public expenditure dedicated to social expenditure (education, food, health, water and sanitation, and housing), specifying how resources freed up by debt cancellation have been allocated;
(c)The regional distribution of public expenditure, stating whether specific resources have been directed towards particularly poor rural areas.
5.With regard to the fight against corruption, please provide information on the application of the rules on the declaration of assets at the start and end of a mandate or function, including those set out in article 66 of Act No. 96/06 of 18 January 1996 amending the Constitution of 2 June 1972, and those contained in Act No. 003/2006 of 25 April 2006 on the declaration of assets. Please also specify how many senior officials have been prosecuted for corruption.
Non-discrimination (art. 2 (2))
6.Please provide information on the impact of measures taken by the State party to combat discrimination against the English-speaking minority in the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights, especially with regard to ensuring the systematic use of the two official languages, equal access to quality education at all levels, and equal access to the labour market, including the public sector. In particular, please provide statistical data on access to education in the French- and English-speaking subsystems. Please also describe the current situation with regard to the crisis in English-speaking parts of the country and the measures taken by the State party.
7.Please provide information, including statistical data, on the impact of the measures described in paragraphs 40 and 41 of the State party’s fourth report, on the employability and participation in public life of persons with disabilities. Please say whether the State party intends to take steps to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons from discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation, including by decriminalizing homosexuality.
8.Please provide information, including statistical data, on access to education, employment and health services by internally displaced persons, asylum seekers and refugees in Cameroon. Please also provide information on the policy adopted by the State party to improve the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights by these groups.
Equal rights of men and women (art. 3)
9.Please indicate how the State party ensures that its Covenant obligations relating to the equal enjoyment of rights by men and women take precedence over customary law, including in cases handled by traditional courts. Please also provide information on the time frame for amending legislative provisions that discriminate against women, such as those relating to polygamy and other provisions of the Civil Code that remain in force.
III.Issues relating to the specific provisions of the Covenant (arts. 6–15)
Right to work (art. 6)
10.Please provide statistical data on the impact of the 2014–2017 decent work country programme for the promotion of decent work, including its impact on reducing unemployment among young people and women and on women’s participation in the labour market. Please indicate how far the programme has promoted women’s access to jobs and income-generating activities in the formal economy and specify which jobs and activities are traditionally dominated by men.
Right to just and favourable conditions of work (art. 7)
11.Please provide information, including statistical data, on the findings of the plantation inspections mentioned in paragraphs 62 and 63 of the State party’s fourth report and any penalties imposed for violations. Please also provide information on the impact of the implementation of the formal policy of social responsibility mentioned in paragraph 64 of the fourth report on the improvements in workers’ rights.
Trade union rights (art. 8)
12.In addition to the adoption of Decree No. 2016/060 on the appointment of the registrar of trade unions, please describe any long-term solutions found to the obstacles to the exercise of freedom of association identified at the meetings of Government and trade unions in 2012. In particular, please provide information on the measures taken by the State party in response to the reported cases of harassment and reprisals against trade union leaders and members. Please also say what difficulties the State party encounters in protecting trade unions from government interference in their internal affairs.
13.Please say how the provisions of article 255 of the Criminal Code, on obstructing the freedom to work, are reconciled with the right to strike.
Right to social security (art. 9)
14.Please provide statistical data on social security coverage in the State party following the introduction of the voluntary insurance scheme in 2014, including with regard to the basic guarantees or social protection floors recommended by the International Labour Organization in relation to essential health care and basic income security for children, persons of working age and older persons. Please say whether the social allowances and benefits provided are adequate and allow recipients to exercise their rights to health and a decent standard of living.
15Please provide information on the evaluation of the pilot programme of unconditional direct cash transfers, the beneficiaries’ enjoyment of the rights concerned and the programme’s future.
Protection of the family and children (art. 10)
16.Please provide detailed information, including statistical data, on the mapping of child victims of sexual exploitation referred to in paragraph 73 of the State party’s fourth report, as well as information on the strategies adopted by the State party to effectively combat child labour.
17.Please provide information on the measures taken by the State party to address the gaps in the legal framework for combating violence against women and girls, as identified in paragraph 79 of the fourth periodic report, including the absence of specific provisions criminalizing domestic violence and marital rape. Please also provide information on the impact of the implementation of the National Strategy to Combat Gender-based Violence, bearing in mind that such violence can be exacerbated by access to weapons.
18.Please provide statistical data on unregistered births. Given that birth registration is essential for the enjoyment of basic rights, please provide information on the impact of measures taken by the State party to urgently address the problems of non-registration and invalid certificates. In particular, please provide information on measures taken by the State party to guarantee the enjoyment of rights without discrimination, including the rights to education, work, social security and health for persons who do not have birth certificates.
Right to an adequate standard of living (art. 11)
19.Please describe the impact of the measures mentioned in paragraph 86 of the State party’s fourth report, including changes in the past five years in the percentage of people living below the poverty line, defined at a national level, and in the inequality level, defined as the ratio of the total income of the richest 10 per cent to the total income of the poorest 40 per cent.
20.Please say by how much the implementation of the housing development programme and the pilot programme on affordable homes for low-income households has reduced the housing shortage in towns, put at 600,000 at the time of the State party’s last report (E/C.12/CMR/2-3). Please also provide information on the impact of the participatory slum-improvement programme on housing conditions in poor neighbourhoods, stating the percentage of households living in such neighbourhoods.
21.Please describe how the State party reconciles its obligation to guarantee the right to decent housing and to prevent forced eviction with the provisions of article 322 of the new Criminal Code that criminalize non-payment of rent.
22.Given that Act No. 85-09 on expropriation in the public interest and compensation procedures and its implementing regulations relate only to title holders, please say what eviction methods and compensation procedures apply in cases of customary ownership and to occupants who do not have a land title but have right of use as recognized by the State party’s legislation. Please provide data on complaints and appeals lodged with the Verification and Valuation Commission in respect of evictions and expropriations conducted between 2012 and 2017, giving details of their subject matter and outcome.
23.Please provide information on measures taken by the State party to carry out independent investigations into reports of forced evictions, fires and other human rights violations in Kembong and other villages and on measures taken to ensure adequate compensation to victims.
24.Please explain how the State party ensures that drinking water is available, accessible and affordable for households in both large towns and rural areas. Please say how far the resources invested to improve access to water and sanitation in rural areas are proportional to needs, including in terms of infrastructure installation and maintenance.
Right to physical and mental health (art. 12)
25.Please provide information, including statistical data, on the impact of measures to ensure the accessibility, availability and quality of health services and infrastructure in the State party, especially in rural and remote areas and for the most disadvantaged and marginalized groups, including persons on a low income.
26.Please provide information on mental health policy in the State party, any concrete measures taken and their impact on the accessibility and availability of adequate mental health services throughout the country.
Right to education (arts. 13 and 14)
27.Please describe the measures taken by the State party to address the problems of school closure and falling attendance due to the deteriorating condition of schools and to teachers leaving the job. Please also say what steps have been taken to prevent responsibility for ensuring the availability of local education services, whether through the building of schools or the hiring of teachers, from being shifted to parents’ associations.
28.Please provide information on the impact of, and the challenges encountered in, the State party’s implementation of measures such as the intercultural multilingual education strategy, which are aimed at ensuring the availability of culturally appropriate education in local languages.
29.Please describe the impact of measures taken by the State party in respect of the employability of new higher education graduates and their integration into the labour market. Specify the resources that are effectively placed at students’ disposal as a result of these measures.
Cultural rights (art. 15)
30.Please provide information on the situation of linguistic minorities and the guarantees given them regarding the use of their language.