Minorities and Indigenous Peoples
Minorities and indigenous peoples suffer a disproportionate number of human rights abuses in Cameroon .
‘Minorities' refers to any group which is different in some way from the mainstream population – in terms of language, religion or culture, for example. ‘Indigenous peoples' are groups whose cultures and ways of life differ considerably from the dominant society, and that their cultures are under threat, in some cases to the point of extinction. A key characteristic for most is that their way of life depends on access and rights to their traditional lands and the natural resources found there.
Minorities and indigenous peoples have the same human rights as everyone else, but we talk about their rights as groups to draw attention to the fact that their rights are often not respected. However, international law also makes special provisions for indigenous and minority rights. In addition to human rights, indigenous peoples seek recognition as peoples, and protection of their cultures and traditional ways of life.
It is legitimate to give certain groups special rights because some groups need extra help to fully enjoy the human rights granted to everyone in the UDHR. Only when minorities are able to use their own languages, benefit from services they have themselves organized, as well as take part in the political and economic life of States can they begin to achieve the status which majorities take for granted.
The most widely-accepted legally-binding provision on minorities is article 27 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which states:
"In those States in which ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities exist, persons belonging to such minorities shall not be denied the right in community with the other members of their group, to enjoy their own culture, to profess and practise their own religion, or to use their own language".
The Preamble of Cameroon's Constitution states that: the State shall ensure the protection of minorities and shall preserve the rights of indigenous populations in accordance with the law.
United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities defines certain rights for minorities. These are designed to ensure that minorities enjoy the same rights as everyone else.
Minorities and indigenous peoples may suffer human rights violations because they are not aware of their human rights. Many indigenous peoples live in remote areas where access to education and information about human rights is difficult. Migrant workers may spend significant periods of time traveling from one destination to another, which leaves little time or opportunity to access information and can result in children missing school where they would learn about their rights. In addition, for both these groups, and for minorities resident in the country, language barriers may prevent access to meaningful information about human rights. People may exploit this ignorance in order to abuse human rights.
The best way to protect the rights of minorities and indigenous peoples is to promote knowledge about human rights and for the government to ensure special provision are made to help these group to enjoy their human rights to the full extent that the mainstream population does.
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