Jean-Jacques Kouoh in Yaounde
Célestine is barely 23, a student and the second of five children from a humble family from Yaounde.
With her father having passed away and her elder brother unemployed, Célestine was expected to do her bit to contribute to the family’s income. Her mother finds it hard to earn enough from her small business.
To help make ends meet, and at the suggestion of her mother, Célestine began to go out with a married man, a “family friend” who supported her financially but who expected her to be available whenever he wanted to be with her.
This liaison soon ended, but she soon got to know another man, and then another. The list grew longer and longer. Célestine’s income became vital to the family. Her mother, who had given her blessing to her affairs, was proud of her.
But Célestine began to tire of jewellery and luxury hotels. She realised that she could not define her existence through the gold chains around her neck and the men in her bed. She began to dream of a quieter life, of a husband and children.
But her dream was short-lived. Having taken a voluntary test, she discovered she was HIV-positive and her life was turned upside down.
Today, Célestine suffers in silence, barely speaking about her situation. What she needs is someone to listen to her and help give her hope. She is bitter and points the finger of blame at her mother, at men, at society. But often, she is brave enough to admit she was at fault – having unprotected sex on a whim.
“Would you have a shower fully clothed? Or eat a banana with the skin on?” Such comments are all too frequently heard in Cameroon. The practice of “full contact” is widespread, especially among the young. And Célestine knows very well that she was a follower. What is to be done?
This poignant story is – give or take the odd detail – the same as that of thousands of other girls in Central Africa. It could happen to many more if they do not take care.
The Red Cross Societies of Central Africa, and in particular Cameroon, are attempting to respond to the threat of HIV/AIDS with a significant contribution from communities themselves.
Many national associations, government departments and development organizations are involved in the fight against the spread of AIDS. Initiatives exist in secondary and further education to improve understanding of how the virus is transmitted and to change risky behaviour. Red Cross Youth clubs are very active in this domain.
The continued advance of the pandemic shows, unfortunately, that more needs to be done to combat this scourge more effectively, and HIV/AIDS is just one of the many challenges faced by these impoverished and marginalized states.
Aware that the circumstances of girls like Célestine is one of the principal factors pushing incidence rates up, the Cameroon Red Cross (CRC), with the support of the Federation’s regional office, has launched its ‘Filles Libres’ project, aimed at helping these “unattached” girls.
It is no secret that prostitution is not going to go away. Although illegal, it is paradoxically tolerated in Cameroon. Indeed, when times are hard, girls will even allow themselves to have unprotected sex, since this pays better.
“In any case, we all die of something in the end. Why should we feel guilty?” These are words often uttered by these “unattached” girls and their customers to justify their actions. Having no protection and no legal recourse, they opt for silence, bruised and humiliated in both flesh and dignity.
The illegal and clandestine nature of their work deprives them of access to health and social welfare. Their health is not checked and it is difficult to give them advice on how to prevent the transmission of sexually transmitted illnesses, such as HIV/AIDS.
Despite the resources deployed by the government, associations and other NGOs, many “unattached” girls” are reluctant to get involved in these structures. There is a lack of trust, and given the illegal nature of their work, they fear being identified.
These girls avoid regular health check-ups by centres which are moreover not adapted to their needs. They prefer to hide their situation and continue their “work” at the risk of being exposed as prostitutes, but with a very real risk to their health and that of their many clients.
Since no specific structure has been put in place for the medical care of these vulnerable young women, a number of initiatives to support them have been developed in Cameroon, and particularly in Yaounde. Only the city’s military hospital – as part of the Cameroon AIDS Prevention project, in partnership with the Public Health Ministry, Demographic Research Institute and the Yaounde Anti-Retroviral project, in collaboration with Médecins sans Frontières – cares for people living with AIDS.
But, the “unattached” girls often refuse to take advantage of this service, because the institution is perceived to be too daunting and official. They want an alternative that is more open and young, and above all, one that guarantees their anonymity. Thanks to its reputation for neutrality and independence, the Red Cross is best placed to meet this need.
In launching its “Free Girls” project, the Red Cross wanted to put forward an alternative approach to a problem that is not only a moral question, but one that is a real public health issue. To ensure an efficient, appropriate and high quality response on both the medical and psycho-social level, the Red Cross is working with a number of actors, each of which brings something essential to the project. The Red Cross itself brings its coordination capacities, its fundraising ability, its network of volunteers and its credibility in the eyes of the girls, the authorities and the general public.
Among the partners is the Circle of Friends of Prudence (Cercle des Amis de la Prudence), an association which offers support to the “filles libres” and which encourages 1,000 such young women to attend the Cameroon Red Cross medico-social centre. Supported by CRC volunteers and using peer education, the Cercle aims is to encourage behaviour change among the girls with regard to sexually-transmitted illness and AIDS.
Discussions are regularly held in districts identified as “strongholds” of prostitution, and many subjects are broached including HIV/AIDS and other problems the girls encounter in their everyday lives. These talks allow the peer educators to better understand the girls and to encourage them to join the Red Cross project.
To advocate on behalf of the girls, fruitful relations have been established with AFASO, Active and United Women of Cameroon, which includes women living with HIV.
To raise awareness, they speak out publicly about their status to inspire confidence and to convince their peers of the need to be tested but also to have regular check-ups at the Red Cross health centre. This association ensures counselling before and after testing, home visits for people living with HIV/AIDS, support for orphans and awareness-raising.
The “Filles Libres” Project began with the opening of the Henry Dunant Centre, a modern facility with a large trained psychosocial team, some from the Cercle and AFASO. Some 250 girls form part of a study group, and they have free access to complementary examinations and treatment. The programmes is to be extended to other cities.
Cameroon is the testing ground for this project, which highlights the important role of local communities in the search for solutions to their problems, and the need to combat HIV/AIDS using programmes with an integrated approach, not least the fight against poverty, an approach that integrates the expertise and competences of different partners.