The Fate of Refugees in Cameroon: A Legal Perspective

Refugees are persons outside their countries of origin who need international protection because of a serious threat to their life, physical integrity or freedom in their country of origin due to persecution, armed conflict, violence or serious public disorder.  The need for international protection arises because they cannot avail themselves of the protection of their own country against these threats.  A precondition of being considered a refugee is that a person crosses an international border.  People who are forcibly displaced from their homes and who cannot or choose not to leave the country are not considered refugees, even if they share many of the same risks and vulnerabilities as those who do.  Addressing the problems of refugees is the primary responsibility of the government.  This requires taking concrete steps to prevent arbitrary displacement, protect and assist the refugees and find durable solutions to their problems.  Several laws and institutions are put in place to protect refugees, but refugees suffer a lot despite this.  This can partly be attributed to the ineffective implementation of the Law.  To better protect refugees, this work recommends that the refugees need to be empowered; government should provide them with vocational training and skill acquisition so that they do not stay idle, and the government is supposed to provide refugees with adequate security, make sure that their lives are being secured before sending them back to their home country.