Being born different from what society has chosen as "normal" in Cameroon and especially choosing to show that you are different is a risk. People from the LGBTQ community in Cameroon are beaten, imprisoned and even murdered for their sexual orientation. 

These socially acclaimed punishments have caught the attention of Maitre Alice Nkom, a lawyer at the Cameroon Bar for over 50 years and a defender of human rights, particularly the rights of sexual minorities. 

"The rules for prosecuting someone for any offence were not respected when it came to defending someone accused of homosexuality, especially in the part that concerns the presumption of innocence and also in the analysis of the material fact of homosexuality.   

These shortcomings in the country's criminal code prompted Me. Alice Nkom to choose to fight for the defence of people who have been arrested, mostly arbitrarily, as was the case for Shakiro, a transgender woman imprisoned for several months for "attempted homosexuality".  

"On 8 February 2021 I was arbitrarily arrested. I was with my friend Patricia in Bonapriso for a meal when the gendarmerie cars parked and took us away. It was a set-up by homophobes in Cameroon. The gendarmes told me that they were going to take me to the New Bell prison because I spoke openly about homosexuality and they said I had a negative effect on the younger people," says Shakiro, who is now a refugee in Belgium after having fled to Nigeria.

The conviction of suspected homosexuals was almost certain before Me. Alice Nkom decided to fight for their rights. The security forces in Cameroon fail in their responsibility to protect LGBT people from violent attacks and instead often arrest the victims, social stigma and widespread discrimination allows the violence to proliferate. 

"Suspects were systematically convicted. Initially, they would come out of the prison to answer court summonses, but there were no prior investigations or flagrante delicto. There were just these apparent elements that made people think they were guilty. This pained me a lot. I chose to do something about it as an activist. 

Founder of the association for the defence of homosexual rights, ADHEFO in 2003, Me. Alice Nkom, has changed many lives despite the obstacles put in her way by the administrative authorities. 

"The idea of an association was new but thanks to my cover as a lawyer I could defend the causes that interested me. The ministers asked for my disbarment saying I was culminating in a crime but I defended myself well." 

Once the courts closed for the day, this battle continued on the streets: 

"I was threatened many times but I didn't give up. People used to throw stones at me but I continued the fight and now the threats have faded. As I explain, people understand that this is a fight for human dignity."