Stories from UNODC Nigeria

UNODC and UNFPA join forces to protect Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) victims’ rights

To commemorate the 75 th Anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights UNODC is running a series of articles over the course of the year connecting our work in Nigeria to these universal principles.

 

"Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by a competent national tribunal for acts violating the fundamental rights granted to him by the Constitution or by law."

Article 8 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) enshrines the right of every victim of a human rights abuse to an effective remedy for the harm done to them, and as such it creates a requirement for states to ensure that victims are able to access the justice system to seek redress.

One important group for which UNODC is working to ensure access to justice in Nigeria, are the victims of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). Nigeria has witnessed an increase in reports of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) crimes in recent years. This was particularly exacerbated by the lockdown measures introduced in 2020 to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, with a marked increase in SGBV offences also coinciding with new obstacles for victims seeking justice as many Courts also temporarily suspended their operations.

The absence of effective remedies to such violence weakens the multi-sectoral approach required to prevent and respond to SGBV. Access to justice is fundamental[Read More]

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We Are Hiring!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Position Title: Associate Programme Officer, NOB

Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is located in the UNODC Global Maritime Crime Programme (GMCP) - Atlantic Ocean (AO) Project, Country Office in Nigeria (CONIG), with duty station in Abuja, Nigeria, Division for Operations (DO), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The Global Maritime Crime Programme (GMCP) operates under the Border Management Branch (BMB), Division for Operations (DO). The Associate Programme Officer will work under the direct supervision of the GMCP Associate Programme Officer and under the overall guidance of the UNODC Representative, Country Office in Nigeria (CONIG). For more information on UNODC, please visit the website: www.unodc.org

Responsibilities

Within assigned authority, the Associate Programme Officer will contribute to the implementation, monitoring and evaluation as well as the overall project management of the GMCP Atlantic Ocean project portfolio. The incumbent will be responsible for the following specific duties:

• Support GMCP CONIG in the development, implementation and evaluation of assigned projects; assist in monitoring project implementation; identify problems and propose corrective actions; liaise with relevant parties; identify and track follow-up actions in consultation with the GMCP CONIG management.

• Contribute to conducting assessments and reviews of the existing national legislation related to maritime crime with particular emphasis on national implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) in legislation and regulations, identification of current limitations and recommendations for improvements.

• Engage with and build networks of national experts, advisers, processes, and mechanisms which are concerned with maritime crime in the Gulf of Guinea. TOR-VN052 & GJPP062 31048925 TOR-VN052 NOB Associate Programme Officer w GJPP062 GMCP-CONIG Abuja

Prep. by: GMCP, qk, Feb. 2023

• Organize, coordinate and attend workshops including legal reform and capacity building in the areas of anti-piracy and other maritime crime, as well as international judicial cooperation.

 

Get more details[Read More]

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“I never imagined that sports could do this”: UNODC celebrates the power of sports in preventing violence, crime, and drug use among youth on the International Day of Sports

Alice*, a 15-year-old living in a rural area in Nigeria, was struggling. Feeling lonely at home, subjected to punishment for the smallest of reasons, she had tried everything in an effort to cope. Running away from home. Cutting her wrists with a razor in a failed suicide attempt. Drinking alcohol. Taking too many sleeping pills.  

 

Her drug use, once discovered by her father, threatened to further derail her young life, for he would delay paying her school fees, claiming her education had been a wasted investment. Cut off from her friends, Alice's isolation deepened. 

 

Eventually, Alice returned to school, where she was enrolled in the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)'s "Line Up Live Up" (LULU) programme. LULU uses sports-based life skills training to empower youth and enhance their resilience to violence, crime, and drug use.   

 

The programme struck a chord with Alice, who reported that the "LULU programme gave me a whole new meaning and understanding of life." Alice recalled several lessons that stuck out for her during LULU, including one which required the students to run to the opposite side of the hall without being hit by balls flying from all directions. Each time the students were struck, they would have to start all over again. 

 

Alice noted that[Read More]

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