Cameroon's Parliament opens its November 2026 session with two texts on women's rights still pending: a proposed Code of Persons and the Family tabled by the association LEFE, and a government bill on violence against women that was validated in 2024 and has remained with the Prime Minister's services since June 2026.
LEFE, which campaigns for legal reform on family and gender issues, published a comparative survey dated 30 September 2026 counting 24 African countries with a family code and 38 with a specific law against violence against women. Cameroon has neither, the survey states. LEFE's proposed family code sets the minimum marriage age at 20 with no exemption, recognises marital rape, protects the family home, provides for the removal of a violent spouse and requires fathers to recognise their children.
LEFE also reports 50 feminicides in four months and eight women killed in eight days in August 2026. The organisation did not state the period covered by the four-month figure or the source of the count.
The government has not said whether it will table its own bill in November 2026, and Parliament has not scheduled either text for debate. LEFE is asking deputies to vote its proposal, accelerate the government bill or set a deadline for both.