Dr Nico Halle: Building Peace in Cameroon Must Begin at Home

Dr Nico Halle: Building Peace in Cameroon Must Begin at Home.

By Gerald Ngeh. 

The quest for lasting peace in Cameroon must begin within families, where love, respect and responsible relationships can help prevent violence before it escalates into tragedy, veteran lawyer and human rights advocate Sir Dr. Barrister Nico Halle has said.

Speaking on CRTV’s Action Woman programme during the HeForShe segment, Nico Halle challenged Cameroonians to look beyond the immediate manifestations of violence and examine some of the conditions that allow it to develop within homes.

The veteran barrister, who was speaking alongside Senior Reporter Amy Banda and Elthon Djeutcha, placed particular emphasis on the importance of love and care in family relationships.

He argued that a home deprived of affection, understanding and mutual respect can gradually become vulnerable to conflict and violence.

His message comes amid heightened national concern over violence against women and a series of reported femicide cases that have sparked public demonstrations and calls for stronger action.

On September 19, hundreds of people marched through parts of Yaoundé in a demonstration covering about four kilometres, demanding greater accountability and action in response to the reported cases of femicide across the country.

According to figures cited from the Ministry of Women's Empowerment and the Family, about 60 femicide cases had been recorded since January, with nearly 10 reportedly occurring in August alone.

The figures have intensified discussions about the protection of women and girls and the need for preventive measures at both institutional and community levels.

It is within this wider national conversation that Nico Halle's intervention has brought renewed attention to the family as an important starting point for peacebuilding.

He maintained that the responsibility of preventing violence cannot rest solely on government institutions, security forces and the courts. Families, he suggested, must also confront behaviours and attitudes that can create an environment conducive to abuse.

The remarks also echo an earlier call made on the same Action Woman platform by Governor Samuel Dieudonné Ivaha Diboua, who urged men to embrace care and reject violence.

For Halle, the issue requires a deeper examination of how men and women relate to each other within the home.

Marriage, fatherhood and family life, he noted, come with responsibilities that go beyond providing material needs. Respect, emotional support, patience and genuine concern for the wellbeing of other family members are equally important in maintaining peaceful homes.

The intervention has added a moral and social dimension to the ongoing debate on gender-based violence in Cameroon.

While laws, law-enforcement mechanisms and judicial processes remain important in dealing with perpetrators, prevention also requires changes in attitudes and behaviour.

This is particularly relevant to the HeForShe initiative, which encourages men and boys to actively participate in promoting gender equality and preventing violence against women and girls.

For peace advocates, the growing national conversation provides an opportunity to move discussions about violence beyond moments of tragedy and into sustained community education.

Religious institutions, traditional authorities, schools, civil society organisations and families all have potential roles to play in promoting respectful relationships and encouraging people to resolve conflicts without resorting to violence.

The streets of Yaoundé have already provided a visible expression of public concern. The challenge now is to ensure that the message reaches individual households, where relationships are built and where many conflicts begin.

Nico Halle's intervention consequently places the responsibility for peace on more than institutions. It calls on individuals, particularly men, to examine their conduct within the family and recognise the consequences that harmful behaviour can have on spouses, children and society at large.

As Cameroon continues to debate how best to address violence against women, the call for peace is increasingly being linked to prevention, responsibility and behavioural change.

For Nico Halle, creating peaceful communities begins with creating peaceful homes — and peaceful homes require love, respect, care and responsibility.