Cameroon: paternity testing gains ground amidst changing societal norms

A growing number of men in Cameroon are no longer content with simply accepting their partners’ announcements of an impending newborn. The traditional trust in such declarations is giving way to a more cautious approach.

While maintaining harmony with their companions, these individuals typically fulfill their responsibilities throughout the prenatal visits and up to childbirth. However, it is often post-delivery that they seek definitive confirmation of their biological link to the newborn.

This emerging trend is observed not only among common-law partners but also within households where couples are formally bound by Cameroon’s civil marriage laws.

The motivations behind this shift vary, yet a common thread persists: a desire to avoid deception by women, as expressed by Georges Ebanga, a resident of Yaoundé’s Tsinga district. «Women have become exceedingly cunning. For a single pregnancy, some will attribute paternity to multiple men, solely for financial gain. I’ve therefore resolved to verify everything, as I am prepared to pursue legal action for breach of trust and fraud against anyone who attempts to deceive me», he stated.

A short distance away, in the Bastos neighborhood, I encountered a man in a city taxi who shared his painful experience of such dishonesty. «I spent twelve years raising a child I believed was my own. Then, one day, her mother took her to her biological father. I swear, I nearly had a breakdown. That devastating experience is precisely why I’ve committed to conducting a paternity test for any child henceforth attributed to me», he recounted.

Despite its growing acceptance, paternity testing faces resistance from some Cameroonians who perceive it as an imported Western practice, diverging from cherished ancestral African values. These traditions emphasize that a child belongs to the entire community, transcending the biological link to just two parents.