Joaquim Magalhães de Castro
Forced disappearances, arbitrary detentions, and inhumane prison conditions are among the serious abuses denounced by Archbishop Samuel Kleda of Douala, the most important city in Cameroon, in a Pastoral Letter on prison conditions, published at the end of June. Recalling the teaching of Jesus – “I was in prison and you came to visit me” (Mt 25:36) – Archbishop Kleda explains: “This letter intends to be an act of truth and pastoral charity, born not from a spirit of controversy, but from a sense of duty and urgent compassion. Its objective is to denounce the systemic injustice that surrounds the arrest, detention, and incarceration of many Cameroonian citizens.” The goal is to expose the intolerable practice of kidnappings and solitary confinement, the degrading and abusive conditions in police stations and gendarmerie posts, the reality of the prison system, the corruption that plagues the entire judicial system, and the frequent violations of criminal procedures. The archbishop describes the situation as “very serious” and demands “a change of mentality from all of us, as well as a transformation of our institutions. “Even before addressing the conditions inside the country’s prisons, the African Archbishop draws attention to the situation of missing persons. People are arrested and kidnapped, often without a warrant, by uniformed or plainclothes police officers. They simply disappear, only to be held in secret locations. Their phones are turned off, and all traces of their whereabouts are erased. Their terrified families travel from one police station to another, from one court to a barracks, only to find denial, indifference, or even threats.“This practice of secret detention in unknown—and sometimes unofficial—locations constitutes a flagrant violation of the law,” emphasizes Archbishop Kleda.
The conditions inside the country’s “official” prisons are equally alarming, beginning with health and sanitation. “Access to medical care is little more than an illusion,” states the Archbishop. Prison clinics are poorly equipped, and medical staff are overwhelmed. Contagious diseases such as tuberculosis, scabies, and typhoid fever spread uncontrollably. Prisoners living with HIV or diabetes see their health rapidly deteriorate due to lack of treatment. The food, deficient in vitamins and calories, is insufficient to sustain prisoners whose health is already compromised. Their survival often depends on support from family members or the black market within prisons. The situation of women and minors is particularly distressing. “This reality is even harsher for vulnerable prisoners,” notes Archbishop Kleda. “The women detained do not have access to basic feminine hygiene products. Some are imprisoned along with their babies, whose future is compromised, as they grow up behind bars without conditions conducive to normal development. The minors, who should be separated from adults and receive adequate educational support, are often abandoned to their own fate, exposed to the law of the strongest and to various forms of abuse and exploitation.”
According to the Archbishop, these abuses are made possible by the “corruption and perversion of justice.” In particular, he points to the widespread abuse of pretrial detention. What should be an exceptional measure has become the norm, often lasting for years and effectively turning presumably innocent people into convicted prisoners. This denial of justice amounts to a double punishment: deprivation of liberty and denial of the right to a fair trial within a reasonable time. Remembering that prison should serve both to “protect society and to provide convicts with an environment where, with full respect for their dignity, they can reflect, repent and acquire the skills necessary for successful reintegration into society after their release,” the Pastoral Letter concludes with an appeal to everyone’s conscience. “The way we treat prisoners is a measure of our relationship with God. Ignoring their suffering means ignoring Christ. Committing to alleviating their suffering and restoring justice means serving Christ.”
The situation of children is another of the major problems in Africa. In the Cameroonian Diocese of Bafia, for example, approximately 20,000 children live without birth certificates. Children whose birth certificates do not exist. Children who, for the State, civil society and the Church, were never “born.” “The problem of a lack of birth certificates is a reality in most of our dioceses, especially in large cities,” reports Father Cletus Ashu Amah, National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Cameroon. “The cause of this phenomenon,” explains Father Cletus, “lies in war and extreme poverty.Particularly in the Anglophone part of the country, there is widespread displacement, including of children, young people, families, and entire communities. Some displaced girls are forced into prostitution, become pregnant, and some of these children are abandoned. All of this happens without birth certificates.” Preserving the identity of children, protecting them from dangers such as human trafficking and abuse, and ensuring their access to basic social services, such as the right to education and health, as well as their participation in social and religious life, are the objectives of a project supported by the Pontifical Society of the Missionary Childhood for Children at Risk in the Diocese of Bafia and recently presented by the diocese’s Justice and Peace Commission.
The project not only documents and analyzes the phenomenon but also initiates concrete measures to combat it in a broader context. The civic and humanitarian aspect of this project is part of the larger mission of the Pontifical Society of the Missionary Childhood, which, according to the motto of its founder, Bishop Charles de Forbin-Janson, “Children help children,” contributes to the Christian and missionary formation of children. The project, which comprises several phases, includes immediate measures such as the organization of mobile clinics where registration can be carried out, collaboration with local authorities in particularly vulnerable areas, and the establishment of temporary registration centers in parishes, schools, and units. health, and facilitating the process through legal and administrative support, including cost reduction.
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