Cameroon parliament votes for gender-balanced adultery ban News
Cameroon parliament votes for gender-balanced adultery ban

[JURIST] Cameroon’s parliament voted on Wednesday for the country’s penal code to punish men and women for adultery under equal terms. Though adultery was already a criminal act for both genders, the penal code previously punished [AP report] women for committing any adulterous act while only punishing men for adultery committed in the home or “habitually elsewhere.” The adjusted law charges adulterers with two to six months jail time or fines of up to about $175. The changes were pushed by President Paul Biya [official profile] and are expected to be supported by both the president and the senate moving forward.

Discrimination and the rights of women remain global issues. In February the Supreme Court of South Korea decriminalized adultery [JURIST report] after finding the law of concern to be unconstitutional. A UN report this month stated that young girls have been attacked [JURIST report] in 70 countries for pursuing an education. Also in February UN officials called for an end [JURIST report] to all female mutilation. Last month the UN urged El Salvador to pardon women [JURIST report] jailed for seeking abortions due to rape or pregnancy complications. In a criticized decision last month, a UK court upheld a regulation [JURIST report] that requires domestic violence victims to provide specific types of evidence before obtaining legal assistance.