HIV/AIDS in Cameroon: The policy response of the police

This chapter examines the institutional framework adopted in Cameroon to fight the HIV/AIDS pandemic and how this framework related to the police. With the diagnosis of the first HIV cases in 1985, the government embarked on a mission to control the scourge of HIV/AIDS, starting with its institutional and legislative framework. The approach has been holistic. There are many factors that make those in uniform vulnerable to HIV. It is only recently that sector-specific measures, for example within the police, have been enacted. This chapter emphasizes the importance of a holistic approach because members of the police are part of the larger society. It also examines the mainstreaming of the police into the Ministry of Defence’s HIV prevention plan and the resultant effects. It moves from the general to analyse efforts at the level of the police in Cameroon. The discussion does not intend to address the responses of other uniformed services, such as the armed forces and the penitentiary administration. Where these sectors are mentioned, it is purely for comparative purposes.

Related Subject(s): Public Health

Countries: Cameroon