What We Do
PROGRAMMES:
Ø Gender Justice Programme
Ø International Law and Public Policy Reform Advocacy Programme
Ø Public Interest Law and Development Programme
Ø Governance, Transparency and Accountability Programme
1. Gender Justice Programme
The goal of the programme is to promote gender equality and create better legal frameworks for the development and implementation of human rights standards. This programme birthed the first sexual assault referral centre and a one stop centre in Sokoto state. It has also led to the establishment of a response team in Lagos State, Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency, (DSVA).
The main projects are
a. Setting up of the first Sexual Assault Referral Centre known as the Mirabel Centre. This project is funded by Justice for All (J4A) of the Department for International Development (DFID).The Centre was opened to the public on July 1, 2013 and has provided holistic and high quality medical and psychosocial services to over 7000 survivors of sexual assault and rape. Men, women and children who have either recently or in the past experienced rape or sexual assault receive free and comprehensive medical, counseling and aftercare services from Mirabel Centre. The Mirabel Centre is the first sexual assault referral centre in Nigeria and the second in West Africa. It is located at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH, Ikeja, Lagos State.
b. Setting up of the first One Stop Centre in North Western Nigeria. This project is funded by the United Nation Women. The Centre was opened to the public in March, 2020. It has provided free psychosocial, medical and counseling support services to over 1000 survivors of sexual assault and rape. It is located at the Specialist Hospital Sokoto, Sokoto State.
c. Working with the Lagos State Government in setting up the Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team, (DSVRT).
d. Community Mobilization Programme that forms a community partnership network to raise awareness, mobilize public opinion and prevention programmes have taken place as a result of setting up the centre. These programmes include; school sensitization programme, rape walk, conferences on SGBV, Market outreach, sensitization talks/workshops at different churches, cooperate organizations and training of community health workers, teacher, doctors, nurse midwives as well as social media awareness campaigns.
e. Rural Empowerment Project under which PJ builds the capacity of stakeholders especially women for economic, social, political and legal advancement of women.
2. International Law and Public Policy Reform Advocacy Programme
The goal is to foster the culture of implementing regional and international human rights standards by expanding the capacity of policy makers, judicial officers and advocates to understand and apply principles of international human rights standards in policies and domestic courts.
Partnership for Justice is the focal point for West African Human Rights Defenders Network in Nigeria and will host the secretariat for the Nigerian Human Rights Defenders Network when established. The programme also aims at promoting regional human rights activities in Nigeria through collaboration with sister organisations.
Project activities under this programme include:
a. Capacity building and training of Human Rights Defenders in Nigeria: As the West African Human Rights Defenders Network focal point in Nigeria we train and build the capacity of Human Rights Defenders on protection mechanisms and referral processes to be explored during conflicts.
b. Enhancing civil society engagement with the National Action Plan on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights. The project title was monitoring the implementation of the National Action Plan for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights (NAP). The project was funded by the MacArthur Foundation.
c. A follow up grant on Ensuring government accountability for its commitments in national, regional and international human rights instruments (2013 – 2016) was equally funded by MacArthur foundation. The need for the grant was to engage the United Nations Human Rights Council and the Universal Periodic Review to hold the government accountable to its human rights commitment.
d. Integrating Human Rights into Nigeria’s Foreign Policy: A national dialogue on Foreign Policy and human rights since independence was organized in 2011.
3. Governance, Transparency and Accountability Programme
The aim of this programme is to ensure responsible leadership that is transparent, accountable and committed to the need and aspirations of the people. It seeks to promote the building of community pressure groups to hold the government accountable to its obligations at the community level particularly during election period. It also promotes advocacy and sensitization of communities on their civic rights.
Project activities under this programme include:
a. Monitoring of elections. PJ is a member of the CSO Election Situation Room which comprises more than 60 civic groups that serves as a melting pot of ideas, analyzing issues and proposing changes and reforms in response to key developments and gaps in the governance process in Nigeria.
b. Civic Engagement: Partnership for Justice engage the civic space through content creation, media campaigns on citizen’s participation in electoral processes, etc
4. Public Interest Law and Development Programme
This programme aims at expanding domestic jurisdictions on interpretation of rights contained in international and domestic legal instruments through the promotion of public interest law and advocacy.
The main project activities are
a. Prolonged Detention Project and litigation on the death penalty: Under this project, PJ has helped in assisting vulnerable women, men and children in accessing Justice.
b. Juvenile Justice on the basis of the Child Rights Act.
ACHIEVEMENTS
– Set up the first Sexual Assault Referral Centre in Nigeria (situated in Lagos State).
– Set up two Sexual Assault Referral Centres in Sokoto State and Ebonyi State.
– Focal point for West African Human Rights Defenders Network in Nigeria.
– Played a key role in the advocacy process for the amendment of the Lagos State law on sexual violence.
– Capacity building of civil society organizations to engage the National Action Plan for human rights and hold the government accountable to its human rights commitments.
– Organized National Consultation Workshop for Human Rights Defenders working on Sexual and Gender Based Violence.
– Accredited Electoral Observer during the 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019 and 2023 General Elections.
– Visits to sexual violence organizations in USA and India to study and learn about their experience in dealing with the survivors of sexual assault.
– Developed handbook and community safety plan for Human Rights Defenders in the Sexual and Gender Based Violence ecosystem.
– Launched the study on the situation of Women Human Rights Defenders and the Most Vulnerable Human Rights Defenders in West Africa.