Buokejung Nsen Abeng
2022 IVLP Impact Award Project: Preventing Gender-Based Violence by Empowering Internally Displaced WomenCameroon
Buokejung Nsen Abeng is a practicing lawyer and serves as the national coordinator at Civitas Cameroon. She is an expert in human rights and humanitarian action. She holds a bachelors degree in law from the University of Buea, Cameroon; a post graduate diploma in law from the University of Dschang, Cameroon; and a master degree in human rights and humanitarian action from the Catholic University of Central Africa. In her current role at Civitas, Buokejung promotes and protects human rights, the rule of law, democracy and the environment with the aim of helping Cameroon meet its obligations under international, regional and national human rights frameworks.
Recently she has worked to coordinate a flagship initiative #EmpowerAWoman through advocacy for the promotion of the human rights of women and girls, the elimination of all forms of gender-based violence, gender equality and non-discrimination. She actively promotes gender equality by advocating against practices that impede the growth and development of women and girls as equal members of society. To this day women in Cameroon continue to suffer from marginalization and discriminatory gender-based practices. Buokejung conducts campaigns, workshops, research, advocacy and cooperation with other national and international civil society groups and partners.
IVLP Impact Award Project: Preventing Gender-Based Violence by Empowering Internally Displaced Women
This project targeted Internally Displaced Women and Girls in Yaoundé, Cameroon. Due to the human rights and humanitarian crisis in the northwest and southwest regions, and the Boko-Haram insurgency in the north, many women and children are internally displaced, which poses a serious challenge in terms of health security. The diverse threat contributes to the number of internally displaced women and girls in the urban city of Yaoundé. This situation has aggravated and elevated the level of gender-based violence. This project aims to reduce the prevalence of gender-based violence in communities of internally displaced women and girls in Yaoundé by creating awareness and providing knowledge about access to lifesaving response services to those at risk. The goal is to equip internally displaced women and girls in Yaoundé with adequate information and tools to respond to lifesaving and gender-based violence management.
The project had 53 participants, 40 of which are Internally Displaced Persons. It organized a workshop that focused on strengthening the capacity of internally displaced women and girls to prevent and respond to gender-based violence in Yaounde, Cameroon. Victims of gender-based violence received psychosocial support from trained counsellors and the workshop equipped internally displaced women and girls with adequate information on how to prevent and respond to gender-based violence within their communities.
"Participants appreciated the workshop for making them realize clearly what they had been through, and they came out with a much greater commitment to fight against all forms of GBV." - Buokejung Nsen Abeng
IVLP Exchange Experience
Buokejung was a participant in the IVLP Project Ending Gender-Based Violence organized by the U.S. Department of State and World Learning.
Buokejung's exchange experience led to the development of her IVLP Impact Award Project: "IVLP was a great experience as it improved my advocacy skills in ending Gender-Based Violence using cultural specificity."
U.S. Communities Visited Virtually
Washington, DC; New Orleans, LA; Boston, MA; Raleigh, MC; Burlington, VT