According to the United Nations Children Emergency Fund, UNICEF, up to 400,000 children are in need as a result of Anglophone Crisis. 309,0000 of the children (77%) are in NW and SW regions, of whom 206,000 should be targeted for immediate assistance.

The report states that since 2016, political and social instability, exacerbated by sporadic violence, impacted negatively the life of the civilian population of Cameroon’s South West and North West Regions.

As a result, more than 437,000 persons have been displaced in forests, rural and urban areas. Fundamentally a protection crisis, children are the first affected, their well being highly impacted by the violence surrounding them. Displacements, human rights & children rights violations are frequent as well as rupture of community networks.

Going by the report, the Child Protection Area of Responsibility has been activated in October, along with the activation of the other clusters. Its response strategy will focus on 4 different pillars: prevention of further abuse; response to children victims of abuse; capacity building of local actors and communities on child protection; advocacy and multisector collaboration on child protection.