Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2025, published 114th ILC session (2026)

Cameroon

Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100) (Ratification: 1970)
Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111) (Ratification: 1988)

In order to provide a comprehensive view of the issues relating to the application of ratified Conventions on equality, the Committee considers it appropriate to examine the Conventions Nos 100 (equal remuneration) and 111 (discrimination in employment and occupation) together.

The Committee notes the observations of the General Union of Workers of Cameroon (UGTC), received on 8 September 2025. The Committee requests the Government to provide its comments in this respect.

Convention No. 111 – National policy designed to promote equality of opportunity and treatment in respect of employment and occupation

Article 1(1)(a). Discrimination based on sex. Sexual harassment. The Committee notes that, according to the indications in the Government’s report, the draft Labour Code Act includes provisions on the protection of workers against sexual and psychological harassment. The Committee hopes that the Government will take the opportunity offered by the process of revising the Labour Code to: (i) incorporate a definition and prohibition of sexual harassment that covers all forms of sexual harassment (quid pro quo and hostile work environment); (ii) include provisions on the prevention of sexual harassment; and (iii) establish a complaints mechanism for the issue and appropriate penalties. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on any progress made in this regard.

Articles 2 and 3(b). Equality of opportunity and treatment in respect of employment and occupation. Programmes providing access to education for members of indigenous communities. The Committee notes the measures taken to promote equality of opportunity in education, employment and occupation for indigenous communities. The Government mentions, in particular, the sectoral plan for education, the programme to support school enrolment of indigenous children, the creation of community schools and the national gender policy, which promote equitable access to education. It also highlights the emphasis placed on the use of local languages, the training of teachers who are sensitive to indigenous cultures, and cooperation with NGOs, such as the Interdisciplinary Centre for Development and Human Rights and Plan International. The implementation of the 2020 Action Plan and the education reform support programme, supported by the World Bank, has led to progress for the Baka, Bakola, Bagyeli and Bedzang peoples, notably through the retention of teaching staff and the provision of appropriate materials. The Foundation for Environment and Development in Cameroon has also contributed through the plan for vulnerable indigenous peoples. As to employment more specifically, the national development strategy 2020–30 and the National Employment Policy, developed with the ILO, take into account the specific needs of indigenous communities. In 2024, six indigenous persons entered the labour market thanks to the support to enterprise development and competitiveness project. The Committee requests the Government to: (i) provide information and statistical data on the impact of these programmes and policies; and (ii) specify the effective implementation of Act No. 2019/020 of 24 December 2019, indicating the number of complaints filed and their outcomes.

Discrimination based on sex. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that the public authorities’ strategy for socio-economic development includes the promotion of gender equality and equity as a major focus. This focus features prominently in the social sector development strategy. With regard to employment and occupation, this strategy is based on the fundamental labour standards relating to non-discrimination in employment and occupation. The strategic focus of the national gender policy also emphasizes women’s access to production systems and their equal access to employment opportunities and factors of production. With regard to women’s economic empowerment, the Government of Cameroon places particular emphasis on strengthening women’s employability through: (1) the establishment of centres for the promotion of women and family (CPFFs). These are specialized technical units that offer girls and women training in “their” areas of specialization, including the clothing industry, aesthetics, hairdressing, hospitality and catering, etc. The aim of the training courses offered is to facilitate the socio-occupational integration of young girls and women. To date, the Government has 122 functional CPFFs throughout the country; (2) support for the socio-economic integration of girls and women trained in specialized technical units; (3) financial support for women’s groups for the establishment of income-generating activities; (4) the establishment of a revolving fund in some 50 CPFFs to grant microloans to women; and (5) the implementation of projects and programmes for vulnerable groups. The Committee requests the Government to: (i) provide information on the results achieved through the initiatives undertaken, including the number of women trained and integrated into the labour market by the CPFFs; and (ii) specify the measures taken to encourage women’s participation in non-traditional occupations.

Equality of access to education and training for girls and women. The Committee notes the Government’s efforts to promote equality of access to education and training for girls and boys, although regional disparities persist. Between 2017 and 2020, the gender parity index remained at 0.86 nationally, but fell to 0.49 in the North. In 2018/19, the enrolment rate in secondary school was 48.6 per cent for boys compared to 42.45 per cent for girls. The main measures adopted include: (1) the creation of priority education areas to promote girls’ enrolment in regions with low enrolment rates; (2) the secondary education and skills development for growth and employment project, supported by the World Bank, focusing on girls’ education; (3) the “Education Plus” initiative, in partnership with several UN agencies, aimed at preventing early marriage, HIV and gender-based violence; (4) the SWEDD project – phase 2, which promotes women’s empowerment and girls’ access to education in the Far North, North and Adamawa regions (distribution of school kits, bicycles, etc.); (5) awareness-raising activities among community and religious leaders; (6) the multisectoral action plan against child marriage; (7) the establishment of community preschools and literacy centres; (8) capacity-building for teachers on gender-sensitive teaching approaches; (9) the awarding of scholarships for academic excellence to young girls; (10) the establishment of gender clubs and combating violence in schools. The Government indicates that progress has been made in the Centre and Littoral regions, where the parity index is approaching 1, but that the North, East and Adamawa regions are still lagging. The Committee requests the Government to: (i) continue its efforts to achieve parity in primary and secondary education and provide information on the results achieved in this regard; (ii) indicate the measures taken to ensure that education and vocational training are free from any considerations related to gender stereotypes or prejudices and gender segregation, including measures to encourage girls and women to choose non-traditional fields of study and occupations; (iii) indicate the obstacles encountered by girls and young women wishing to pursue their studies in an educational or vocational training establishment; (iv) describe the measures taken to remove these obstacles, including awareness-raising activities carried out at the local level; and (v) provide statistics, disaggregated by sex and field of study, on the participation of young women and women in higher education and vocational training.

Article 3(d). Employment under the direct control of a national authority. The Committee recalls that, having noted the low representation of women in decision-making positions in the public service, it requested the Government to indicate the measures taken to promote, in practice, equality of opportunity and treatment and to enable women to advance in their professional careers in the public service. It notes that the Government reports an improvement in the presence of women in the public service, liberal professions, the judiciary, academia, the army and the management structures of ministries, without providing data to support its claim. The Committee therefore once again requests the Government to provide: (i) detailed information on the measures taken to promote equality of opportunity and treatment in recruitment and career progression in the public sector; and (ii) statistical data on the composition of the public service, disaggregated by sex and seniority.

Article 3(f). Measures to put an end to discriminatory job vacancies. The Committee notes the information provided by the Government, according to which awareness-raising activities are being carried out for administrations and employers to combat discriminatory job vacancies, and that advocacy actions are being taken to promote women’s skills and increase the representation of women in elected and decision-making positions, under the coordination of the Ministry for the Promotion of Women and Family. It nevertheless notes that, according to the UGTC, the practice of discriminatory job vacancies persists. The Committee requests the Government to indicate the legal or administrative measures taken to prohibit and punish these practices, the existing monitoring or complaint mechanisms, and any cases that have been identified and processed. Lastly, the Committee would like to receive information on the advocacy actions aimed at promoting women’s skills.

Convention No. 100 – Principle of equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value

The Committee notes the statement by the UGTC that discrimination in terms of equal remuneration exists in sectors and enterprises that are not covered by collective agreements and in which employers set wages unilaterally. It recalls in this regard that, where the State does not have the competence to enforce the principle of equal remuneration, it is required to promote it under the terms of Article 2(1) of the Convention. The Committee requests the Government to provide its comments in this respect.

Articles 1 to 4. Gender pay gap. Statistics. The Government indicates that it has taken measures to enable the compilation of statistics, such as the creation of statistics units in all ministerial departments, and undertakes to provide, in its next reports, the statistics collected and analysed under the national gender policy. The Committee encourages the Government to intensify its efforts to compile and analyse statistics on the remuneration of men and women in the public and private sectors, disaggregated by occupational category. In particular, it requests the Government to provide the data collected under the national gender policy on the distribution of men and women in the various occupational categories and their respective earnings.

Article 2. Combating occupational gender segregation. Pay transparency. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that it is not aware of any occupational segregation and that no complaints regarding violations of the principle of the Convention have been received to date. It also notes the Government’s statement that labour inspectors have not yet received training on the principle of equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value and rely on the existing legal framework on labour. The Committee recalls that certain jobs, sectors or occupations are often characterized by a concentration of men or women. This phenomenon, known as occupational gender segregation, is partly due to outdated attitudes and stereotypes regarding “masculine” and “feminine” work and assumptions about the productivity of men and women in certain tasks or jobs. It emphasizes that occupational gender segregation can be horizontal (referring to segregation between sectors, occupations or employment) or vertical (referring to segregation between different levels of employment, such as lower-level, higher-level and managerial positions). Moreover, the Committee notes that, in its previous observations, the Cameroon Workers’ Trade Union Confederation (CSTC) drew attention to the difficulties encountered in monitoring the application of the Convention in practice, arising from the lack of a policy of pay transparency. In this regard, the Committee recalls that transparency of pay structures is recognized as a means of reducing the gender pay gap and therefore encourages the adoption of measures to enable information on remuneration to be requested and obtained at the enterprise level (see the General Survey of 2012 on the fundamental Conventions, paras 712 and 723). With regard to the fact that, in general, in practice, women and men do not perform the same occupations (occupational segregation), the Committee requests the Government to provide information on any measures taken or envisaged to combat gender stereotypes relating to the occupational aspirations and abilities of girls and women, on the one hand, and boys and men, on the other, in the context of education, vocational guidance and training and employment. It also requests the Government to provide information on any measures taken or envisaged to promote pay transparency, in order to combat gender pay gaps more effectively and promote the application of the principle of the Convention.

Article 3. Objective job appraisal. The Committee once again requests the Government to take measures to put in place formal procedures for the objective appraisal of jobs based on objective criteria for comparison, such as skills, effort, responsibilities and working conditions, in order to ensure that work in sectors and occupations where women are predominant is not undervalued.

Conventions Nos 100 and 111 – Application in practice

Enforcement. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that it is not aware of any disputes relating to the application of the two aforementioned Conventions. In this regard, the Committee is obliged to recall that where no cases or complaints, or very few, are being lodged, this is likely to indicate a lack of an appropriate legal framework, lack of awareness of rights, lack of confidence in or absence of practical access to procedures, or fear of reprisals. The lack of complaints or cases could also indicate that the system of recording violations is insufficiently developed (see the General Survey of 2012, para. 870). The Committee therefore requests the Government to: (i) take measures to raise awareness of the principles set out in Conventions Nos 100 and 111 and the relevant legislation; (ii) strengthen the resources available to the competent authorities, including judges, labour inspectors and other public officials, to identify and process cases of discrimination (including cases of unequal remuneration); (iii) to ensure that the substantive and procedural provisions in force give complainants every opportunity, in practice, to assert their rights; and (iv) to provide detailed information on any cases of discrimination that have been processed by the labour inspectorate or the courts, specifying the grounds of discrimination invoked, the corrective measures taken, the penalties imposed on the perpetrators of discrimination and the compensation awarded to the victims.