The fingers of  an 8 year old boy by name Boris were burnt in a pot of boiling water on the 15th of June 2011 by his mother at their behind P.M.INkwen residence. According to sources from the neighborhood, Boris has been living under the custody of his grandmother a petty trader in the Nkwen market for the past two years.

Young Boris with burnt fingers

The grandmother leaves every morning to her business site and Boris stays back home and plays around with other boys of his age in the neighborhood. Sources close to the family revealed that, Boris’ mother by name Esther Bih who lives in Douala had just returned home and would not allow the boy to have his freedom as he usually has when he is left only with the grandmother.

On that faithful evening, Boris left the house as usual to play with his friends and to return when he senses that the grandmother would soon be back. The mother, who was home sick, called on him several times and Boris did not respond. She simply put a pot on the fire and boiled water. When the little boy returned, as a punitive measure, she held him and forced his hand into the pot of boiling water where the child sustained serious injuries.

The matter was reported to the CHRAPA paralegal service. The paralegal service immediately alerted the forces of law and order to pick up the mother and to ensure that justice should be done. By punishing the perpetrator accordingly, it will go a long way to deter others from abusing vulnerable children.

While the warmth and hospitality of the North West people makes believe that justice and peace are inherent virtues within the North West Region of Cameroon, the frequency and gravity of inter-tribal conflicts over recent years give us reasons to revisit this stance.

Young Combatants with guns ready to fight

The situation of human rights and rule of law in Cameroon have been one of the prominent topics at the centre of political, academic and civil society debates over the years in Cameroon and beyond. While government reports place Cameroon high up in the ranks of African Countries with good human rights and respect of rule of law, reports of national   civil society organisations and international organisations like Freedom House and Transparency international leave Cameroon wanting on the issue.

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