NHRC begins data collection of right violations of displaced persons, others

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has commenced the process for the collection of data on violations and abuses of the rights of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and refugees in the four states of northeast region.

According to NHRC, the data aimed at respect to human rights violations, specifically, data that has to do with gender-based violence, sexual exploitation and abuse, movement or restriction of movement issue that has to do with family, social cohesion, psychosocial issues that have to do with how to offer protection services to them when their rights are violated or abused.

Tony Ojukwu, executive secretary of the Human Rights Commission disclosed this in Maiduguri at the opening of a two-day training for its staff and volunteer group with theme: the inception training on guidelines for human rights-based approach on protection referral for forcibly displaced persons (FDPs) Asylum Seekers, Refugees and Returnees.

He said the training was supported by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and collaboration with NHRC to trained the Community Protection Action Group, on data collection and collation.

He disclosed that “What we know for now is that our need assessment shows that there are violations everywhere are going on because of the circumstances we find ourselves and because of the status of these people. As time go on, we will be able to talk in specific terms.

“We must have data for our country to have any development plan for IDPs, refugees, returnees and asylum seekers regarding violations and abuses of the rights of this class of people.”

Ojukwu, who was represented by the commission’s Head of monitoring, Okay Agu Benedict, explained that a lead assessment conducted by the commission shows the presence of violations of IDPs’, refugees’, and returnees’ rights in the North-East states of Borno, Adamawa, Yobe, and Taraba.

He said, however, that the commission is yet to establish the level of the violations. “This is one of the reasons we organised this training supported by the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees),”

He said the training is to address the protection concerns of these people due to their vulnerability. “He said there was need to protect this class of people,” he added.

He said the 54 participants, drawn from Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, and Taraba, are expected to learn a new skill of data collection on human rights violations, specifically those concerning gender-based violence, sexual exploitation and abuse, restriction of movement issues, family, social cohesion, and psycho-social issues.