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Long-term activities focused on opening up certain areas.
3) Children in Armed Conflicts and Specific Measures taken to Protect
and take care of the Children (Article 22)
Cameroon does not have the problem of child soldiers or of armed conflicts
involving children.
However, Act 84/04 of 4 July 1984 on the conditions for the adoption and
guardianship of orphans provides for the care by the State of children whose father or
guardian has been killed either by the opponent or in battle defending the constitution of
the land, or whose father, mother or guardian has died from injuries or from a sicknesses
contracted or aggravated through the war.
B.
Children in Conflict with the Law
1) Administration of Juvenile Justice (Article 17)
Concerns about the administration of juvenile justice are taken into account in the
framework of the preliminary draft code on the protection of children, which is in the course
of being approved.
The Ministry of Justice (MINJUSTICE) has also contributed much for the promotion
and protection of the rights of children, notably, the drafting of the bills which led to the
adoption of Act 97/009 of 10 January 1997 amending and completing certain provisions of
the criminal code and adds an article 132bis on torture, Act 2005/007 of 27 July 2005 on
the code of criminal procedure and which dedicates the whole of section15 with its 13
chapters to juvenile delinquency; Act 2005/015 of 29 December 2005 on combating child
trafficking and slavery of children.
In addition to these laws, the Ministry carried out other activities intended to help
implement child rights:
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Preparing and distributing reports on the state of human rights in Cameroon for
the years 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008, which highlight successes and
shortcomings.
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The signing of two joint decrees on the administration of juvenile justice, in
application of the new provisions of the code of criminal procedure by the
Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Justice, Keeper of the Seals and the
Minister of Social Affairs: