The United Nations (UN) in Nigeria has emphasized the need for collaborative efforts in effective combat of human rights violations around irregular migration in West Africa.
The call was made in Abuja on Monday at the opening ceremony of the two-day training of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) on human rights-based response to smuggling of migrants and related crimes.
Speaking at the training which was organised by the UN in Nigeria for CSOs. Senior Human Rights Adviser, Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Adwoa Kufuor-Owusu, said the training is meant to strengthen capacities of civil societies on human rights-based approach to migration.
She lamented that violations of migrants rights and related abuses has become global concern.
Kufuor-Owusu described migration as a complex and multifaceted issue that has impacted the lives of countless individuals and communities negatively all over the globe.
She said: “Not only in Nigeria, it has power to transform societies, economies and most importantly, individual lives.
“Migration is often accompanied by challenges, which can lead to violation of human rights of migrants, if not managed properly and safe guarded.
“So, in order to do this very safeguarding, management and vulnerability that might arise in the context of migration, there are various legal frameworks.
“Which have been established at the International, regional and national levels.”
On his part, the Executive-Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Chief Tony Ojukwu emphasised the need for government and civil society to partner, to tackle migration issues.
Ojukwu, represented by Mr Hilary Ogbonna, Senior Human Rights Adviser of NHRC, said that migration, whether regular or irregular does not just happen.
He said: “It is because people want to exercise their fundamental human rights to freedom of movement or right to association.
“As a Conmission, we believe migratory activities or human rights is significant for all the actors that involved in it.
“For government and CSOs, we all need to work closely together to be able to protect human rights.
“To ensure every person that has course to migrate or return is protected under national and international principles of human rights.”
Also speaking, Aishat Braimah of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Officer, identified some causes of irregular migration.
She noted that a lot of people who found themselves in vulnerable migration situations were often the targets of smuggling.
She said: “People who are trying to flee persecution, conflicts or natural disaster in their home state, they find themselves wanting to migrate through irregular means.
“In terms of mitigating risks of migration, it is important we work in a holistic way, reason this training workshop was put together.
“To bring stakeholders together to solidify approach to the issues,” Braimah said.
Michael Olugbode in Abuja
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