Arbitrary Arrests have Rendered Several LGBTIQ+ Persons in Cameroon Miserable

Abstract Book of the 5th International Conference on LGBT studies

Year: 2026

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Arbitrary Arrests have Rendered Several LGBTIQ+ Persons in Cameroon Miserable

Ghislain Gael Baleng Oum

ABSTRACT:

Background: In Cameroon, discriminatory laws prohibit same sex relations. Consequently, homosexuality in Cameroon is a taboo and LGBTIQ+ persons face a lot of abuses such as arbitrary arrest which is the arrest of an individual in a case where there is no evidence that they committed a crime against legal statute, or in which there has been no proper due process of law. The annual national reports on human rights violations are evidence of this: 73 in 2020, 142 in 2021, 290 in 2022, 297 in 2023, 305 in 2024 and 320 in 2025.
Objective: Demonstrate the consequences of arbitrary arrests on the LG BTIQ+ persons in Cameroon.
Methodology: Data from LGBTIQ+ organizations are used to highlight these practices.
Result: So many LGBTIQ+ have lost their jobs, others have been excluded from their families and some have lost their lives as a result of arbitrary arrests and arbitrary detentions based on their sexual orientations. Many victims have undergone a lot of trauma and depression, amongst them are those who are living with HIV and as a result, they have defaulted and no longer see the need to continue with treatment and this is contributing enormously to the failure in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Cameroon.
Conclusion: Arbitrary arrests is a threat to the lives of LGBTIQ+ persons in Cameroon.
Recommendation: Train more paralegals across the national territory to continue this activity.
References: Annual national GBV reports, Cameroon Penal Code.

Keywords: Discriminatory laws, Cameroon Penal Code