The Third National Forum on the Fight Against Clandestine Abortions is currently underway in Yaounde, Cameroon. The two-day event, which began on September 28, 2026, is being held in partnership with Senator Françoise Puene and the Non-Governmental Organization, Dynamic Femmes. The forum aims to bring together public decision-makers, healthcare professionals, legal scholars, civil society organizations, traditional leaders, and media representatives to discuss the issue of unsafe abortions in Cameroon.
The national platform is operating under the theme "Clandestine abortions, regulatory framework and health constraints: What reforms to protect the life, health and dignity of women in Cameroon?" The forum seeks to transition from diagnosing the social and medical realities of unsafe abortions to formulating actionable, evidence-based policy solutions. The event is being guided by the rallying slogan "From knowledge to action, from observations to reforms."
According to Mrs. Claudine Siewe, the Executive President of Dynamic Femmes, the primary purpose of the forum is to foster an inclusive, documented, and constructive national dialogue. The goal is to address the severe public health and social consequences of clandestine pregnancy terminations, which expose women and young girls to catastrophic health risks, including severe haemorrhages, systemic infections, permanent reproductive damage, psychological trauma, and death.
On the first day of the forum, key presentations evaluated the progress made on recommendations from the 2024 edition, analyzed current statistical data on maternal mortality, and examined the social, economic, and health determinants of unintended pregnancies across Cameroon's administrative regions. Technical contributions from key civil society partners highlighted the urgent necessity of removing institutional, legal, and social barriers to healthcare access.
Maître Banga Assam of the Cameroon Bar Association, representing the Cameroon Association of Female Jurists, clarified that participating civil society organizations are not seeking to promote or encourage abortion. Instead, the legal advocacy centers on establishing legal certainty and operational synergies between civil society, line ministries, and Parliament to safeguard women's health. She emphasized that abortion as a reckless or deliberate practice remains contrary to moral, traditional, and legal frameworks.
Maître Banga Assam pointed out that women and young girls frequently face extraordinary crisis situations, such as rape, incest, or critical medical complications, where continuing a pregnancy poses a direct threat to the mother's life. In such compelling circumstances, she argued, the legal and regulatory framework must be sufficiently clear and conducive to allow medical professionals to intervene safely within recognized healthcare facilities.
Professor Joyce Endeley of the University of Buea characterized clandestine abortion as an urgent public health and human rights priority. She observed that while unintended pregnancies affect women across various demographics, young people and adolescents represent the vast majority of victims who suffer severe complications or death from unsafe, illegal procedures. The forum aims to domesticate the Maputo Protocol and address the issue of unsafe abortions in Cameroon.
Key points
- The Third National Forum on the Fight Against Clandestine Abortions is being held in Yaounde, Cameroon, to address the issue of unsafe abortions and push for legal reforms.
- The forum aims to foster an inclusive, documented, and constructive national dialogue to address the severe public health and social consequences of clandestine pregnancy terminations.
- The event seeks to transition from diagnosing the social and medical realities of unsafe abortions to formulating actionable, evidence-based policy solutions.
