An Abuja-based Non-Governmental Organization, Legend Golden Care Foundation (LGCF) has intensified its campaign against torture and abuse in Nigeria.
Already the NGO has commenced series of awareness programmes and legal advocacy to check torture as well as engrain a sustainable psychosocial support for victims of torture in the country.
LGCF Executive Director, Mrs. Kanayo Olisa-Metuh, who stated this in Abuja at the opening of a workshop on rehabilitation and Psychosocial support for torture victims within the Nigerian Criminal Justice System, called for uninhibited implementation of laws and treaties that prohibit torture.
The Executive Director while emphasizing on the rehabilitation and support for victims of torture in the country, observed that: “There are international treaties (some of which we’ll be looking at in the course of this workshop) which not only prohibit torture but also require rehabilitation and psycho social support for victims.
“Nigeria as a nation has ratified these treaties and expressed its firm commitment to the implementation of them. We also have domestic laws that are used to implement these international obligations,” she said.
Insisting that torture cannot be justified under any guise whatsoever, Mrs. Olisa-Metuh lamented that it is an act of cruelty inflicted aimed to exact severe physical and mental pain or suffering on the defenceless.
“Nothing Justifies Torture, nothing, not war not public emergencies or even obeying superior orders can be used to justify torture. Torture is one of the serious crimes that can be committed against a human being. It aims to dehumanise through calculated acts of cruelty, it removes the dignity of the victims and generally leaves them powerless.
“It is important to note that torture is not just physical, it can be mental. It is also important to note that torture is not only perpetuated through the act, it can also be perpetuated through an omission,” she said.
According to her, four elements are essential for any act to be classified as torture. Such acts she said must cause severe pain and suffering; must be inflicted intentionally; must be inflicted for a specific cause and must involve State official.
Noting that torture is a global problem, Mrs. Olisa-Metuh said it was imperative that if states cannot totally eliminate cases of torture, “it must not only investigate and punish offenders but also offer rehabilitation and psycho social support for victims” especially as the effect of torture often lasts a lifetime.
She therefore urged stakeholders to make firm commitment against torture in Nigeria as well as take deliberate steps to ensure that victims of torture get the support they need by way of rehabilitation and psycho social support.
LGCF has been at the forefront in advocating for critical reforms on the criminal justice system including the full implementation of non-custodial measures while providing pro bono legal services for pre-trial detainees as well as psychosocial support to inmates of correctional facilities by way of medical, educational, vocation and sporting interventions.
Stakeholders at the workshop include members of the National Assembly and participants from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Federal Ministries and the Nigeria Correctional Service among others.
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