Rights Group Seeks Stronger Laws Against Torture

A rights advocacy non-governmental organisation, Legend Golden Care Foundation (LGCF), has demanded  tougher legislations and deterrent actions against all forms of torture in the country.

The NGO also demanded for stronger government policies and collaborative actions by stakeholders to ensure punishment for perpetrators as well as prompt redress and rehabilitation for victims and survivors of torture in Nigeria

LGCF executive director, Mrs. Kanayo Olisa-Metuh, who stated this in Abuja while delivering a speech at a two-day workshop facilitated by International Rehabilitation Council on Torture (IRCT) and funded by the European Union (EU) and United Against Torture Consortium.

June 26 is observed as the UN International Day in Support of Victims/Survivors of torture across the world.

Olisa-Metuh said the National Preventive Mechanism (NPN) must be equipped with strong legislative and necessary human and financial resources to thrive.

According to her “how effective our NPM is will be a function of the environment created for it. The NPM has monitoring roles and should be given unfettered access to any institution that has the power or tendency to deprive citizens of their liberty, including law enforcement agencies, prison systems or even a mental health institution”.

She lamented that torture is a serious affront to human dignity adding that there must be concerted, multi-sectoral and global collaborations to deal with the trend as well as ensure redress and rehabilitation to victims and survivors

“Torture is a grave violation of human rights and an affront to human dignity with profound and far-reaching impact that affects individuals, families and communities. Survivors of torture endure excruciating pain and trauma, most of them not visible because they are psychological, emotional or even mental and as such are not given the required attention.

Seeking more action towards rehabilitation, Olisa-Metuh stated that rehabilitation of survivors is actually an obligation of the State but it is usually civil societies that fill this critical gap.

“Rehabilitation of survivors of torture is not just a moral obligation but a legal one as enshrined in various international treaties and agreements. It is essential for their recovery and reintegration into the society. It helps restore dignity, promotes healing and reinforces the principle that torture is unacceptable,” she said.

The executive director called for the implementation of international guidelines and treaties against torture which she said clearly stipulates how people should be treated in certain situations.

“There are the Mandela rules that state that inmates of correctional facilities, whether pre-trial detainees or convicts, should be treated with respect and dignity; the United Nations Convention Against Torture (UNCAT) which is aimed at the prevention of torture; the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture (OPCAT), which seeks to strengthen the UNCAT as well as the National Prevention Mechanism (NPM) which is an obligation under OPCAT”

She lamented that though these instruments have been ratified by Nigeria, their full impact will not be achieved if the NPM and other mechanisms are not enabled by stronger legislation, policies and multi-sectoral collaborations.

Olisa-Metuh called for measures that will enhance reporting, investigation and persecution of perpetrators of torture as well as redress, compensation and rehabilitation for victims.

She assured of the continued commitment of her Foundation to upholding human rights, justice and advocacy in support of efforts to eradicate torture and support survivors.

Recalled that in April this year, LGCF conducted a collaborative sensitization campaign against torture and other right violations in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

The engagement had support from the Int’| Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT), United Against Torture (UAT) and funding from the European Union (EU).