The demand for an end to the series of killings recorded in Port Harcourt, Rivers State was further pushed by members of the International Federation of Women Lawyers and the African Women Lawyers Association local branches on Wednesday.
The protest, spearheaded by the Women in Rotary, Port Harcourt South, had 77 groups and individuals marching the street in a solemn walk against the recent murders of women in the state.
For the right to life, the women walked
Since the beginning of September, Nigerians have be inundated with chilling reports of cold blood murder of young women in hotel rooms following a similar pattern—strangulation.
A motel located in the Rumuola area of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, was on Sunday sealed off after the body of a young woman was discovered in one of its rooms.
It was gathered that an unknown man had lodged in the hotel with the young woman.
The incident was the latest after another young woman was found dead in a hotel last Saturday in Obo, Omoku, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of the state.
The Protesters’ Demands
We say NO to these acts of violence and demand JUSTICE for the slain women and return of a peaceful and conducive social environment to our State. We,in the light of these violations of the rights of our women and girls have therefore embarked on this Peace Walk to STATE AND DEMAND as follows:
A thorough,unbiased and speedy investigation by the Police into all reported cases of killing of women in hotels and Motels in Rivers State and the arrest and prosecution of the culprit(s) and accomplices within 14 DAYS of this Publication.
2.A Public apology by the Police as regards the statement they made that was reported in the media branding the victims of these killings prostitutes without any proof whatsoever.
3.The mandatory installation of CCTV cameras and other necessary security gadgets around hotel premises in the State.
4.The proper identification of all Guests and details of every visitor received by their Guests while in the hotel.
5.Institution of new universal hotel policies that would include capturing of guests and visitors data, recording gadgets and equipment,among others.
6.Police emergency numbers to be posted on all hotel rooms and emergency lines at reception desk.
We therefore call on the Police to intensify their efforts and to setup dedicated phone lines and an Emergency response Unit for female victims of homicide and Sexual Violence.
On Hotel proprietors to cooperate with the Police in their efforts to fish out the killers of our women and girls and to report all shady or suspicious characters promptly to the Police, while training their staff on security measures. On members of the public, especially the women in Rivers State to be alert and avoid any questionable clandestine meetings and report any suspicious person to the Law enforcement Agencies.
We must be our sisters’ keepers!
In conclusion while we are aware that the State Government has commenced action on this issue, we urge that it should be accorded utmost priority at this time. No effort should be spared to bring an end to this menace which is very disheartening and therefore requires very serious and urgent interventions by all and sundry. We must not forget that the woman is the heart of the nation and when you hurt a woman, you hurt the entire family, State and the Nation.
The time for Action is now. SAVE OUR SOULS!
Banjul, 27 June 2019: The “Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa” (IHRDA) and the African Women Lawyers Association, Nigeria Branch (AWLA-Nigeria) on 26 June 2019 filed an action against the Federal Republic of Nigeria before the ECOWAS Court of Justice for the violation of the rights of a young woman who was raped in Lagos in 2011.
The Applicant in the case submits that even though the perpetrator was charged to Court, the Court proceedings are yet to be concluded 8 years after the rape. The Applicant alleges violations of the right to a remedy and right to freedom from gender-based discrimination among others.
Updates
10 May 2021: Court notifies parties of postponement of hearing from 12 May 2021 to 23 September 2021.
The Lagos State Ministry of Justice and Office of the Public Defender, OPD, in conjunction with the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, UNICEF, held a 3-day intensive training workshop on Child Justice Administration in Lagos State which premised on the theme, ‘Imprisonment and Over-Institutionalization of Children’.
The objective of the training was not only to ‘Support independent stakeholders to monitor compliance with child rights standards and Enhance capacity of participants to advocate to police, correctional and police detention institutions for children’s release/referral to the non-institutionalized Community Rehabilitation Programme, CRP’ but equally to ‘Deepen participants’ skills to profile children, determine situations of children in detention and capacity to report their conditions with a view to ensuring that reports are used to secure children’s release/referral from prisons and other inappropriate detention centres’.
The Director of OPD, Mrs. ‘Yinka Adeyemi in her opening remarks while noting that visitation to correctional homes is not enough protection for children in-conflict with the Law, rather she emphasized the need for all participants to utilize the skills garnered from the child protection training to understand the performance of what Child Justice Advocacy entail, so that in the process all can inculcate international best practices in child criminal matters and proffer solutions to glaring challenges in the system.
Dr. Willy Mamah and Mr. Denis Onoise both Child Specialists from UNICEF were able to take participants through the following topics;
- The concept and elements of Child Justice System and the available tools and information required to advocate on issues relating to children.
- Understanding the national legal framework – the primary Law being the Lagos State Child Rights Law 2015, the Nigerian Constitution, Criminal Law, Family Law and the African Charter. Similarly, the application of the Child Justice international framework which addresses child-specific needs and rights such as the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child 1990 especially Articles 2, 3, 6, 12, 37 and 40; Committee on the Rights of the Child (General Comment No.10 2007); UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile Justice (Beijing Rules 1985) and the UN Guidelines for the Prevention of Juvenile Justice Delinquency (The Riyadh Guidelines 1990) which thus reflect the underlining principles of the Child Rights Law.
- Underlining Principles of Child Rights Law such as non-discrimination, fair hearing, right to life, prohibition against torture, institutions within the child justice system which includes the police, social welfare office, family courts, correctional centres and prisons; while also presenting an option for treating Child offenders taking into consideration the provision of Section 190 of the Child Rights Law which provides that a child must not be subjected to the criminal justice process or to criminal sanction except to the child justice system and processes set out in the Law. Additionally, Section 195 of the Child Rights Law provides that the Police, prosecutor or any other person dealing with a case involving a child offender shall have the power to dispose of the case without resorting to formal trial by using other means of settlement, including supervision, guidance, restitution, compensation of victims and encouraging parties to settle their case accordingly.
- The concept of therapeutic jurisprudence in child justice administration which means treating children with care and support in accordance with Section 1 of the Child Rights Law therefore the welfare and best interests of the child supercedes at all times.
Thus armed with this child justice knowledge especially directed at those who have the power to influence children’s lives, another aim of this workshop is to change specific policies affecting children and create a conducive political space necessary to improve the lives of children. The goal is to achieve institutional change.
Notably, some challenges were identified such as non-implementation of the cardinal principles of the Child Rights Law under Sections 8 and 196; problem in age determination, overcrowded reformatory institutions, no clear-cut distinction between a detention centre and a holding centre, system failure, lack of legal representation, lack of data collection/ research and several other limitations.
In conclusion, the key highlights that all participants took away were that:
- They were to generally respond to Child needs by ensuring that children in-conflict with the Law or children in-contact with the Law are well represented.
- Delay and denial of justice to children amounts to prosecuting children as adults under the Criminal Justice System instead of the Child Justice System.
- Detention of Child offenders should be the last resort. Such children should not be remanded like adults. Rather it is better to subject them to correctional centres which are facilities that encourage rehabilitation and reintegration.
- Promoting legal education for Magistrates, Police and their Specialised Units, Social workers, Prison officials and Lawyers. That by virtue of children’s vulnerable age, the word ‘arraign’ is not proper for child offenders. Children offenders should be called Children in-conflict with the Law. They should not be taken to regular courts but family courts. They should not be taken to adult prisons as well. They have a right to legal aid and legal representation.
- Exhausting the fundamentals of Social Inquiry Reports (SIR) under Section 205 of the Child Rights Law, as general specification for children in-conflict with the Law.
- Obtaining bail for children; and the implementation of the Lagos State Community Rehabilitation Programme for child offenders, a centre which commenced in 2016 and has UNICEF, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Youth and Social Development, Police and Prosecutors as Stakeholders. See Sections 193, 194 195, 136-149, Section 201 and Section 234 of the Child Rights Law
It should be noted that OPD is a body established by the Lagos State Government to render free legal services for the less-privileged and oppressed residents of the state with emphasis on the issues threatening the socio-economic rights of the poor as well as other disadvantaged groups such as women, persons in disability, children in-contact and children in-conflict with the Law while UNICEF on its own has been a consistent international advocate of children’s rights, working year round to protect the world’s vulnerable children since 1946.
Reports compiled by Oluwatomi Ajayi, Chairperson Research Committee, African Women Lawyers Association, AWLA, Nigeria. [February 20-22, 2019]
Wife of Lagos State Governor, Mrs. Bolanle Ambode has urged lawyers to evolve new ways of making more progress on gender equality, women development and child welfare, saying that no society can achieve rapid development when children and women are relegated to the background.
Speaking at the African Women Lawyers Association’s parley, held at Victoria Island, Lagos, as part of activities marking the Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mrs. Ambode said it was important for members of the legal profession, especially the women among them to be at the vanguard of championing the course of issues relating to the welfare and development of women and children.
The wife of the Governor, who was decorated as Matron and Mother of the African Child at the parley, also lauded the contributions of women lawyers towards improvements recorded in child and women rights in the State, the country and the continent.
She said children and women in Nigeria and Africa faced a brighter future because of steady progress recorded in the area of their rights, noting that it was gratifying that Lagos State was the first to pass the Child Rights Law, following the footprints of the Federal Government.
Aside the Child Rights Law, Mrs. Ambode said it is on record that the State had also passed a law against domestic violence.
According to her, “Lagos State has taken proactive steps in this direction. It was the first State in the country to pass the Child Rights Law after the Federal Government pioneered the process in 2003. Under the law, children are fully protected and those who infringe on those rights are apprehended and prosecuted.
“The State also has a law in place against domestic violence. The law protects women and children against all forms of violence in the home. Through these laws, Lagos State has ensured that women and children are reasonably insulated from reckless rights infringements with impunity.”
Also speaking, Lagos State Chief Judge, Justice Olufunmilayo Atilade, represented by Mrs. Abiola Soladoye, praised the contributions of women lawyers to the growth of legal practice, just as she urged them to reinvent themselves and translate their numerical strength to positive actions.
In her welcome address, President of the association, Mrs. Mandy Demechi-Asagba, noted that the group stood for the protection, promotion and presentation of the rights and interest of women and children in Nigeria and Africa, stressing that they condemned all forms of violence against women, including sexual assault, child molestation, rape, child marriage, genital mutilation, abduction and other forms of discrimination and violence against them.
She said: “The association seeks to change the course of the 21st century, addressing key challenges as inequality, poverty and violence against women and girls, and stressed that violence against women and children is at its peak and requires emergency, desperate, deliberate and purposeful action before it consumes all.”
On her part, the guest speaker, Mrs. Nana Oye Lithur, who noted that child marriage was a global issue, urged the Nigerian chapter of the association to take the lead in the push for new laws to protect the rights of women and the girl-child from barbaric practices.
The parley was attended by prominent women lawyers including the first woman Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Lady Folake Sholanke.
There is hope for the Nigerian child, was the submission of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State and his wife Bolanle, when they both spoke at the celebration of the 2017 International Day of the African Child, organized by the African Women Lawyers’ Association, in Alausa, Ikeja, during the weekend. The governor, who was […]
It is common knowledge that girls’ progress equals family progress which in turn reflects on the progress of the nation. No wonder, the common saying that when a girl is educated, the society stands to benefit or that ‘getting at the girls has a far more powerful multiplying effect.’ Every year, specifically October 11 is a special day universally observed as the day of the girl-child.
This year 2016. the special emphasis is on the word ‘progress’. UNICEF’s current statistics shows there are about 1.1 billion girls in the world. However, in Nigeria, the Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), while celebrating the 2016 World Population Day in July 2016 stated that the population of the teenage girls between 13 and 19 years has increased to 13,787,755. A girl-child in this context is any young girl below the age of 18 years. This is in tandem with the definitions of a child as provided in the 1999 Constitution, the Child’s Rights Act (CRA) 2003, Lagos State Child Rights Law 2008 and other international instruments such as the Convention on the Rights of Child (CRC)1989, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights 1981 (ACHPR) etc.
Invariably the main vehicle of the girl-child progress is education which makes all the difference in her life. That is the key to sustainable development. Education as its catalyst encompasses everything as it means the girl-child has a right to enjoy all her basic rights listed in the child rights’ laws. She can therefore exercise her rights and responsibilities by speaking out; by being assertive yet disciplined; by making choices and weighing the options available in relation with her safety, future career, mental and physical well-being.
It is necessary to highlight the current challenges hindering the progress of the Nigerian girl-child which are obvious in the areas of sexual violence, cultural practices, religion, health, family matters education. Currently, about five million girls are said to currently out of school in Nigeria. There are also issues arising from conflict and insurgency (such as the abducted Chibok school girls), discrimination against the disabled girl-child and girls who live in rural areas, fundamental violation of girls’ human rights, parental preferences for the boy-child, the emerging technology-related violence against the girl-child and finally the weakness of legal and government policies affecting the girl-child.
Essentially, the rules of International Law regulate States Practice on the subject of the Girl-Child through the United Nations CRC 1989 which in Article 11(1) protects the child against illicit transfer abroad and failure to return them (trafficking in children). Articles 16 and 19 protects the privacy, honour, reputation and family life of a child and this includes protection from physical and mental violence, injury, abuse, neglect, exploitation and sexual abuse. There are equally other provisions against economic exploitation and activities that are harmful to the child’s development. Other provisions in the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC) provide affirmative actions for girls’ education while overriding harmful African customs, traditions or religious beliefs. It also grants girls the right to return to school after pregnancy.
Collectively, there is an urgent need for all of us to embark on girl-child attention policies in order to help them meet their potentials, being tomorrow’s useful adults, mothers, wives, working women, community change agents, etc. The ideal yardstick for the girl-child progress is to ensure that she is not used for trafficking and pornography. She should not hawk on the streets and be exposed to rape, veneral diseases or unwanted pregnancy. She should not be an overworked housekeeper, tortured, maltreated and denied education in the name of discipline. Parents in rural areas giving their daughters to family members or even strangers in the urban areas should be condemned. Girls should not be kept in orphanages with the evil and end purpose of getting them pregnant and selling their babies. Child-marriage should be discouraged. Local barbaric customs and religion extremism labelling young girls as witches should be stopped. All the girls in the IDP camps and correctional centres/remand homes should be properly looked after.
Who cares about the Progress of the Girl-Child?
Protection of the girl-child is the gateway to her progress. Progress in this context is a state where girls should be able to rely and have faith in the government to get attention and justice. When the world becomes a safer place for the girl-child to thrive or when resources exist to tackle the current challenges facing the girl-child and uplift her status, then there is progress. Nevertheless, it is the government’s duty to protect its vulnerable young girls. The Nigerian Legal Framework however cares because there are more than enough laws which protects the rights of the girl-child in the Child Rights Act of 2003 and Section 17(3)(f) of the 1999 Constitution. Similar law also exist in different states of the federation. In Lagos State for example, the Criminal Law of Lagos State of 2011 protects the Girl-Child by prosecuting offenders who violate the following provisions:
*Section 135 – Indecent treatment of a child is 7 years imprisonment.
*Section 137– Defilement of a Child is imprisonment for life.
*Section 138 –Householder permitting defilement of a child in his premises is 14 years jail term.
*Section 139 – Allowing a child to live in a brothel is 6 months imprisonment or payment of a fine of N90, 000. 00
*Section 141 – Abduction of a girl under18 years with intent to have sexual intercourse with her is 2 years imprisonment
*Section 205 – Duty of Head of Family Head to provide necessaries of life. e.g food, clothing, accommodation, and medical care.
*Section 199 – In exacting discipline, parents/guardian may correct his child/ward for misconduct or disobedience but must not exceed limits. The discipline must be reasonable having regard to his age, physical and mental condition. Punishment is one year imprisonment.
*Section 276 – Fine is N100, 000. 00 for desertion of children.
*Section 277 – Desertion of a pregnant girl incur N45,000.00 fine and duty to incur medical expenses, food expenses, reasonable shelter and other necessaries.
Aside from the laws, there are designated child-helplines and government ministries/ support agencies where girl-child victims can get help and lodge complaints through specialized police family units, Family Courts, Ministry of Youth and Social Development, Ministry of Women Affairs & Poverty Alleviation. The Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team (DSVRT), Office of the Public Defender, Mirabel Centre, African Women Lawyers Association (AWLA Nigeria), International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Human Development Initiatives (HDI) and other NGOs all play appreciable roles which impact positively on the girl-child. It is on record that Lagos State is the first state in Nigeria to open a sex offenders register after former Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola signed an executive order for anyone to mandatorily report those involved in actual or suspected child abuse. Under the Fundamental Enforcement Rules of 2009 also, anybody can sue on behalf of the child that is being molested.
While some progress has been recorded on issues like girls’ protection and education, there is still a lot of work to be done for them to reach their full potential. Some state governments are yet to domesticate the Child Rights Act. According to Hon. Justice Mary Peter-Odili at the NIALS Founders’ Day Lecture in 2013, the failure of the executive arm of government to make concrete investment geared towards putting in place the right policy and mechanism for implementation has forever been a big challenge. Emphasis on the progress of the girl-child will be enhanced
The Solutions are not far-fetched. To enhance the progress of the girl-child, we must have a girl-focused relevant data to highlight the challenges girls’ face. This will enable the government to keep track of their progress and make a checklist with a view to fill the gaps and ultimately provide solutions to the challenges. This is what UNICEF calls the Global Girls Data Movement. For example, the Lagos State government has devised a roadmap of information which has given birth to a Strategic Action Plan (SAP) for marginalized out-of-school girls resident in the 100 slum areas in Lagos. Clearly this is in line with Article 2 of CRC which provides that States must respect and ensure the rights set forth in the Convention while the child’s best interests should be of primary consideration in all actions. It is important to note that ‘best interest’ does not only include providing our girls with good clothes, food, iphones and other e-gadgets, rather her happiness and psychological development also matter because it can affect her stability and security. (Especially when she attains the age of reasoning between 6 years and 17 years as held in a decided case).
There is need for good governance. At all times and especially during this present economic recession, the government at all levels should implement economic empowerment policies that would create jobs for parents or guardians to take care of their daughters. In Nigeria there is a lot of pressure as some girls fall into the dependency group and productive force at the same time. Government should therefore look into initiating scholarship assistance schemes for girls who excel in academics and sponsor others for vocational skills.
Finally, it is very important that the girl-child is enlightened about certain rights and priviledges for her to be adequately protected.
This is possible through creating the girl-child awareness on all the issues earlier mentioned. Indeed there is a clarion call on everyone to help enhance their lives by involving not only family and community members, but also all policy-decision makers who must establish a convincing attitude alongside with the laws on ground, by walking the talk! In September 2016, the Governor of Lagos State Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode led an all-male walk against sexual and gender based violence in the State. The Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development have also put in place a technical working group of all stakeholders to end child marriage while the Governor of Sokoto State, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal recently laid the foundation for the construction of a new Secondary school in Balle, headquarters of Gudu LGA which is the only Council without a secondary school in Nigeria! One can imagine the plight of the young girls living in this village.
As we celebrate Nigeria at 56, it calls to question why millions of girls are still out of school. It calls for everyone to question the where-about of the kidnapped Chibok school girls. It calls to advocate for the advancement and fair treatment of the girl-child in our immediate environment and beyond. It calls to be extra vigilant over the girl-child’s’ basic human rights and to continue addressing the consciousness of adequate protection for the girl-child. By doing these and more, it is submitted that adherence to the principles of the girl-child rights as human rights, parental supervision of the girl-child and further investing positively in the girl-child ensures progress and security for our nation, for when the girl-child makes progress, the world equally makes progress.
*Mrs. Mandy Asagba & Mrs. Oluwatomi Ajayi are Legal Practitioners & Members of the African Women Lawyers Association (AWLA Nigeria)
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