Agencies Responsible for Protection of Human Rights

Some of the agencies responsible for the protection of human rights in Nigeria include:

• Constitutional Rights Project – founded in 1990 to promote rule of law in Nigeria.
• Nigerian Center for Human Rights and Development – founded in 1995 to promote democracy and enforcement of rights.
• Human Rights Monitor – founded in 1992 to promote human rights.
• Institute for Dispute Resolution – founded in 1999 to promote peaceful conflict resolution.
• Human Rights Law Services (Hurilaws) – established in 2007.
• Youths For Human Rights Protection And Transparency Initiative

The Establishment and Formation of the Agencies and the roles of Agencies for Protection of Human Rights

Centre for Advanced Social Sciences (CASS)

History

The Centre for Advanced Social Sciences (CASS) was formed in 1992 and is based in Port Harcourt. Two other branches are planned, one for East and Southern Africa, the other for francophone West and Central Africa.

Mandate

CASS is a think tank concerned with improving management and public policy in Africa.

Structure

The Centre has a Board of Trustees and is governed by an international Board of Directors.

Program

CASS’s research areas are public policy, governance and democratization, and the international system. The Centre runs seminars and training sessions.

Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO)

History

Established in 1987, the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) is one of Nigeria’s largest human rights organizations.

Mandate

The CLO is a non-governmental organization set up for the defence and expansion of human rights and civil liberties.

Structure

The CLO is a membership organization with sixteen state branches outside Lagos. It has a staff of 23 and is headed by a National Advisory Council and a Board of Governors. The organization is divided into the following project areas: litigation; police and prison; women’s rights; national expansion (membership); annual report; campaign and empowerment (lectures, CD involvement, Liberty magazine); environmental action (in oil-producing areas); documentation and research; resource center; African monitoring group; ethics in government.

Programme

The CLO investigates human rights abuses and campaigns through litigation, publications and communications with the government on behalf of people whose rights have been abused. The CLO publishes a quarterly magazine, entitled Liberty, and a Journal of Human Rights Law and Practice. Its prison project has produced two major reports on prison conditions and a number of smaller publications. It has also published a number of reports on police brutality, military decrees, government impunity, the death penalty and annual reports on the human rights situation in Nigeria. Its legal aid project has represented over 4,000 indigent victims of human rights abuses. The organization also undertakes human rights education through its empowerment project, conducting clinics and seminars on rights issues. The organization is extremely active in lobbying the government through dialogue and public censure and launching campaigns to end specific government abuses.

Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR)

History

The Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) formed in 1989 in response to the detention of trade unionist Femi Aborishade. The organization then evolved into a human rights organization.

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SS1 Civic Education Third Term: Agencies Responsible for Protection of Human Rights