by Christiana Gokyo, Jos
The Plateau State National Human Rights Commission has received over one thousand one hundred (1,100) cases of human violations and has treated 90 percent, which are mostly women.
The Plateau State Coordinator of the Commission, Veronica Abe, disclosed this on Monday to mark the end of the 16 Days Activism, culminated with the celebration of the International Human Rights Day, which started on the 25th November, 2023.
The period is dedicated to the commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which has been a journey of reflection, dialogue and advocacy.
All the programmes organised have been enriched with the understanding of Human Rights issues as the basis of promoting and protecting the dignity of everyone.
Speaking during the walk, Chairman of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Izang Aware, Esq., said, in order to ensure that victims of Human Rights are given their rightful place in the communities, everyone in the communities should promote human rights, protect human rights and to advocate for human rights victims.
He stressed that, “The NBA has a Human Rights Committee and Gender-desk, among others, who are championing the rights of the downtrodden, especially those who are not able to go for legal case,” adding, “They should not shy away but come out and voice out their difficulties.”
While assuring that, “The Association is there to assist abuse of human rights of any person, anywhere in the world; and abuse of human rights is abuse human rights all over the world, because God created us with dignity, and nobody will take away that dignity.
“God created us with love, and nobody should take away that love; God created us with equality, and nobody should take away that equality from us. We are all ready, posed to fight the abuse of human rights in the society,” Izang Aware stressed.
On her part the NAWOJ Chairperson in Plateau State, Mrs Nene Dung, asserted that, “If you violate the rights of a woman, you have violated the rights of a human being. Do not support the violation of a woman; we are human beings.”
But she lamented that, “Women will work with their husbands together to acquire properties, build houses, but at the end of it all they will denied them of the properties; and a women will train children, at the end of the day the children will be taken away from her and be left alone.
“So, what we are saying – we stand against all violations; we stand against sexual and gender violence. They should break this culture of silence and report every issue of violence – be it sexual, be it physical or any kind.”
Mrs Dung also urged the boys to them and open up on any issue of violation against them, as they will take it up.
Speaking also, the Adviser on Gender to the Plateau State Governor, Barrister Olivia Dazem, commended the Human Rights, NAWOJ, Civil Society and all the groups that came out for the walk of advocacy.
She noted that, they came out to show their support and readiness as a government, to change the narrative in Plateau State as far as the protection of Human Rights is concerned in the state.
The Adviser assured that, the Barr. Mutfwang administration, under his leadership is “deeply committed to changing the narrative on the Plateau in time of strengthening all systems to be able to arise and work to defend the social right of our people in the state.
She noted that, “The governor had realized that there are so many abuses on the Plateau going on. We must be able to fight these abuses that are going on and must indeed unite so that we can work together with other government systems, civil societies, so that we will be able to achieve the right protection to our people on the Plateau.”