§ Mr. CatonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Cameroon; and whether he has identified an improvement since the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture visited that country in 1999, with particular reference to the use of torture. [77629]
§ Mr. MacshaneThe UK continues to be concerned about the human rights situation in Cameroon. We continue to use every available opportunity, bilaterally and through the EU and Commonwealth, to bring pressure upon the Government of Cameroon to implement substantial human rights and governance reform generally. We do not believe that there have been substantial improvements to the situation since the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture's report in 1999.
The FCO's Anti-Torture Initiative was established in October 1998. Phase 3 of the initiative was launched in July this year and was marked in Cameroon by a joint British Council-British High Commission seminar aimed at raising awareness of the issue in Cameroon.
The British High Commission in Yaounde has funded projects to provide human rights training for the forces of law and order, and works with local NGOs to promote action on human rights problems.