SLC22-W3 / Human Rights (DDHH)

Right To Life

Right To Freedom of Expression

Right to Freedom of Movements

We were taught

Based on what was explained in class, state in your own words and with explanations whether you consider that human rights are respected or violated in your country.

Human rights are the inalienable rights and privileges enjoyed by the citizens of a particular state or country irrespective of their gender, race, color, or status. It is usually stated in the country's constitution, thereby making it a law that must be abided by.

Nigeria, a vast country with a population of over 200 million citizens, had her human rights commission established in June 1995 by decree no. 22.The human rights situation has improved a good deal since then; however, there are still a lot of serious human rights concerns that are yet to be addressed.

The huge population of the country makes it easier for human rights to be violated.The Nigerian enforcement officials, which include the police, the army, and more, violate human rights a great deal; the army violates the right to life by the unnecessary killing, raping, and molesting of citizens over petty issues; they abuse their power to a great length.

The police violate the right to a fair trial and the right to life by arresting, torturing, and killing suspects without concrete evidence; they would rather pick up a random person or suspect and blame the whole crime on him/her as a way of extorting money in the form of bail, and if he/she refuses, life imprisonment or worse, death sentence.

It has become a natural thing for the lower-class citizens of the country to go to a public house for trivial issues and be asked to seat and wait for a long period of time without being attended to or be given excuses like whoever they wanted to see was not available or was extremely busy, but when the wealthy ones arrive, the person who was supposedly not on seat will suddenly appear. This is a huge blow in the guts to the right to equality.

Child labor is also one of the huge violations of human rights. Children are denied their right to education and are asked to go and work at a very tender age. It has been made normal in the sense that you can barely see adults hawking goods in public places; 80% of the people selling under bridges are underage children, which is a terrible foundation for them.

Another violation of the right to education is the underage marriages continuously ongoing in some parts of Nigeria, especially the northern part; young girls at the age of nine are either getting married or getting betrothed to a much older man. At age 15, they are required to birth children and care for them; this act, or should I say culture, denies the right to education and the right to freedom of choice.

The rights to freedom from discrimination, freedom of choice, and dignity are also violated in cases of widows. Many women across the country, after the death of their husbands, are subjected to ill treatment from their late husband's family and sometimes the society. Most widows are asked to shave their hair off their head and dress in black attire all the time; sometimes the woman is given away to the husband's next of kin like a property; in special cases she is asked to sleep with the deceased husband's body for a period of time.

Please state, according to the laws of your country, whether human rights have the same value as the Constitution of your country, whether they are supra-constitutional, or whether the Constitution prevails over international treaties on human rights.

All these violated human rights are stated in the country's constitution, but they are more violated than respected. The government probably sees these as menial issues that are not to be added to the big picture even if they are stated as laws. The human rights in Nigeria are held in less value than all the other laws stated in the constitution.

Part II

Mention any organization in your region that has jurisdiction over human rights. In your opinion, how useful has it been, and how has its operation influenced respect for human rights in your country?*

There are a lot of human rights organizations located in Nigeria; amongst them are the Nigerian Women Trust Fund, Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, Brekete Family, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Civil Liberties Organization (CLO), and Access to Justice (AJ).

Some of these organizations were created a little after the 1995 declaration, while others were created much later. They have, in ways the government hasn't, created a form of respect for the humanitarian rights of the citizens; they have assisted a lot with the upholding of the human rights of the country. In most parts of the country, violators are now either being afraid or studious in abusing others.

These organizations have also assisted in reducing government bullying, since no one wants their faces dragged through the mud. A case in point was when the CLO organization petitioned the then governor of Ogun State for unlawful acquisition of land, which would probably be a very embarrassing thing for a governor.

These organizations also lend out helping hands to citizens who are suffering or in distress, especially the women, children, elders, and the physically restricted. They also help during the aftermath of conflicts by calling out the defaulters, investigating the cause of the problem, and coming up with solutions that would be negotiable and won't be in violation of human rights.

Have you or someone close to you been a victim of human rights violations? If so, what was the situation, and were you able to assert your right?

There was a case once in my neighborhood where a well-known man was violated by the hired security officers.He had narrated that he was returning from one of his menial jobs and had come across a friend of his; they had a chat about a few things and decided to go to their houses together.

He and his friend had only walked a short distance before they heard noises coming from behind them, and they decided to pick up and run since it wasn't a friendly type of noise. However, they were cut up by the perpetrators and were beaten up for stealing a laptop they knew nothing about; they were badly bruised since the officers kept hitting them without trying to hear their part.

It was obviously a violation of the freedom of fair hearing, but the people in the upper hand of the community decided to overlook this and just gave the victims an apology letter and gave them a pea-sized chance to get treated. Sadly, they weren't able to exert their rights since the law upholders were already corrupted and, in their words, not ready to waste their time on useless matters.

PART III

Case study 1.

A woman loses her son when he dies at the hands of assailants who kill him to steal his car. The assailants are later arrested and prosecuted for the murder. He is serving the sentence provided for by law. However, the woman believes that her right to life has been violated and decides to file a complaint with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

Please state whether you believe that the human rights of the victim in this case were indeed violated and whether the complaint to the aforementioned body should be admitted or not. Explain your answers.*

The lady's right to life wasn't violated since she wasn't the individual murdered and since human rights are inalienable and specific to a particular individual. Human rights are, although imprescriptible, a verdict has been passed, and the murderer was already imprisoned. It is though understandable since her son died, and she probably wanted the felon dead too; an eye for an eye, they say. However, her right wasn't violated, and her case shouldn't be admitted.

Case study 2.

A person is arrested in the middle of an anti-government protest. He is beaten by police officers, resulting in his death. The prosecutor assigned to the case begins the investigation without being able to precisely identify the perpetrators of this murder.

Several years go by, and the victim's relatives turn to the prosecutor's office for an answer and are told that the case has been closed because several years have passed without being able to identify the officers who caused the death.Please state whether you believe that the human rights of both the victim and his/her family are being violated. Explain your answers.

This case shows a clear violation of human rights, the first being the right to freedom of expression, which was violated by the police officer, and the second being the right to a fair hearing. There is a huge chance the case got closed down due to the involvement of a law enforcer. That, however, does not make it any less important. Yes! The rights of both the victim and the family have been abused brutally, and severe actions should be taken in righting that wrong.

I invite @bela90, @artist1111 and @kouba01

Cc,
@anasuleidy