Why We Launched Human Rights Clinic At UNICAL — Amnesty Int’l

The leadership of the Amnesty International (AI) Nigeria, has said one of the reasons for launching Human Rights Clinic at the University of Calabar (UNICAL) was to help in checking sexual molestation of female students by the institution’s lecturers who flout university’s extant laws.

Staff Adviser to AI, Barr. Maxwell Eba, stated this on Saturday in Calabar, Cross River State, while speaking with journalists.

Eba, who spoke shortly after inaugurating Amnesty International Clinic executives at the UNICAL Centre for General Studies and Communication Skills, called for attitudinal change from the newly inaugurated executives.

Eba, who doubles as deputy director, Centre for General Studies, enumerated other social vices that the organisation will put an eagle eye, to include; sex for grades and ‘sorting’, among others, to ensure that students who graduate from the institution leave with high moral standards.

Speaking on the theme; “Empowering Students: Understanding and Asserting Your Human Rights on Campus”, the AI Staff Adviser said: “Once you are given responsibility to act on behalf of the organisation, expect checks and balances to surround you.

“Let’s assume on a scale in terms of moral values, you weighed earlier 60 per cent, now that you have become a member of Amnesty International, you should weigh above 100 per cent.

“You are expected to maintain high level of moral standards.That you now work for Amnesty International, that you are part of the UNICAL Clinic, it’s gives you whole burden to broaden your chest.

“Whatever goes wrong with your character and attitude, goes wrong with the image of the association. It’s the reason you must maintain high level of moral values. Be responsible and responsive to cater for other people.”

In his remarks, President of Amnesty International UNICAL Clinic, Miss Nwawube Obioma, promised not to put in her best to ensure that the purpose for which the clinic was launched is not defeated.

Obioma averred that the inauguration of the clinic in the campus will assist students of the institution to have a platform to file in complaints whenever they notice that their rights have been violated.

“We are collaborating with other organisations, civil society organisations and NGOs to ensure that justice is served to students in helpless situation,” Obioma stated.