Legal Instruments Protecting Human Rights in Cameroon

Across the globe, citizens are increasingly expressing a desire for improved living standards, with human rights violations frequently catalysing various civil disobedience movements. This widespread yearning has compelled governments to respond to this global trend through a range of institutional and legal initiatives. It can be argued that, in contemporary society, many nations have enshrined human rights within their legal frameworks. This study seeks to investigate the legal tools that safeguard human rights in Cameroon. It adopts a qualitative research methodology, utilizing a doctrinal approach to analyse existing laws on the protection of human rights. The theoretical foundation of this work is grounded in John Locke’s social contract theory, which asserts that governments derive their legitimacy from the consent of the governed. According to Locke, the primary purpose of government is to protect fundamental rights and promote the collective welfare of society. This theory provides a rationale for state actions aimed at safeguarding human rights, which are manifested through legal mechanisms as discussed throughout this paper. The research highlights a total of eight national and nine international legal instruments that the state of Cameroon employs to safeguard human rights. These instruments range from the preamble of the 1996 Constitution to the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. To enhance the human rights framework within Cameroon, this paper puts forth several recommendations. These include proposed amendments aimed at clarifying ambiguous provisions found in the preamble of the Constitution concerning human rights, as well as a comprehensive review of the anti-terrorism legislation to prevent its potential misuse against political opponents and activists.