AU body rejects Nigeria’s human rights report

Posted by admin Africa & World Politics, Latest Politics Tuesday, February 14th, 2012

February 14, 2012 by Friday Olokor

Special Rapporteur on Women’s Rights of the ACHPR, Mrs. Soyata Maiga | credits: File copy

The African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights has picked holes in the report presented by Nigeria at its 50th session between October 24 and November 7 in The Gambia last year.

ACHCR, in a statement on Monday, said Nigeria did not include its high maternal mortality rate, and “what the Federal Government is doing to reduce the incidence of unsafe abortion in the country.”

The Special Rapporteur on Women’s Rights of the ACHPR, Mrs. Soyata Maiga, expressed disappointment with the omissions.

The statement quoted Nigeria’s delegation as acknowledging the “failure to report on Maputo Protocol but still remained silent on the issue of unsafe abortion.”

Another resource person at the session, Ms. Hauwa Shekarau, who made a presentation on women’s access to safe abortion, lamented the rising cases of unsafe abortion and its impact on maternal health in Nigeria.

Shekarau said, “A report by the Federal Ministry of Health estimates that for every maternal death due to unsafe abortion 30 more women suffered long-term injuries and disabilities due to unsafe abortion

“Despite this situation, Nigeria’s report to ACHPR failed to mention any measures being taken to address unsafe abortion, one of the major causes of maternal mortality and morbidity which is easiest to prevent.’’

She recommended the provision of comprehensive sex education, increased efforts to end sexual violence against women and girls as well as the provision of comprehensive services for survivors of such violence as some of the ways to stop unsafe abortion.

Other recommendations are the provision of affordable contraceptive counselling and services as well as the revision of restrictive laws and policies to take care of unwanted pregnancies.

Some participants at the meeting said they were disappointed by the excuse given by Nigeria on the non-inclusion of unsafe abortion in its report on the ground that the statistics presented by Shekarau were sourced from a 2006 study.

They also observed that the document entitled, ‘Nigeria’s Strategic Framework For Reducing Maternal Mortality’ which, according to the delegates, “contained the country’s latest approach to reducing maternal mortality.”

-Punchwp_posts