Nigeria: Human Rights Defender at Risk

Nigerian, Human Rights Defender and founder of The International Centre for reproductive health and Sexual rights (INCRESE) in Niger State, Dorothy Aken’Ova has been ostracised and intimidated by family and community because of the work she does.

Social activists and Frontline HRD like Dorothy are a special group of people who put their lives at risk to defend the rights of others. Dorothy has been defending sexual rights and the reproductive rights of women in Nigeria for over 10 years. When one considers her work is concentrated mainly in the North of the country in those states where Sharia law has been adopted as part of the state legal system, her stance on sexual and reproductive rights places her at even more risk.

For the past 12 months, Dorothy has also been at the forefront of the the campaign to prevent the passing of the Nigerian “Same Sex Marriage Bill”. This has involved attending campaign meetings in Abuja, attending House and Senate hearings, making press statements and addressing sexuality rights in Nigeria at the World Social Forum as well as the sessions of The African Commission on Human and People’s Rights.

Because of her public stance against the Same Sex Marriage Bill and her work on sexual and reproductive rights, Dorothy is now at risk of never seeing her 8 year old son again as the courts have ruled against her having access to him.

Human Rights organisations to contact.
Madre - www.madre.org
Human Rights Watch - www.hrw.org
Amnesty International - www.amnesty.org
Frontline Defenders - www.frontlinedefenders.org
International Gay and Lesbian Association - ilga.org
International Gau & Lesbian Human Rights Commission - www.iglhrc.org