UPR Sexual Rights Database

National Report:
Para 14) ... The strategy adopted in the blueprint for promoting gender equality and women empowerment is by systematic gender mainstreaming in all policies and programmes of government, through the incorporation of the principles laid out in the newly revised National Gender Policy, national laws and other regional and international human rights instruments that support gender equality and women empowerment. There are various gender related bills, currently pending in the National Assembly and government is deploying resources to expedite their passage into law.

Para 60) Since the establishment of the Federal Ministry of Women and Social Development and its equivalents in the States, efforts have been made to consolidate and strengthen policies and programmes which will eliminate violence against women and provide support for victims. A product of these efforts is the Violence Against Persons Bill being considered in the National Assembly.

Para 64) The Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development is engaged in continuous advocacy to legislators, policy makers and other stakeholders on the imperative to pass the CEDAW bill currently pending before the National Assembly. Government has taken necessary steps also to engage traditional and religious leaders on the importance of eradicating negative cultural practices from their communities. Some States of the federation have passed laws eradicating some of these practices, including Female Genital Mutilation and harmful widowhood rights.

Para 65) Various actions are being taken, including strengthening of laws and policies as well as their implementation, strengthening of human resources and police institutional reforms to eradicate negative cultural practices at the Federal and state levels.

Para 66) Nigeria in its efforts to improve the rights of women and ensuring that all administrative and policy bottlenecks that hinder women from exercising their rights as guaranteed under the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and other international instruments of human rights, adopted a Gender Policy by approving the establishment of Gender Desks in all Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government with a view to mainstreaming gender issues in all their activities.

Para 68) The Government has established a National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons (NAPTIP) with a mandate to combat human trafficking, protect, assist and give vocational training to trafficked persons.

Para 69) Government has also taken preventive measures against human trafficking through public enlightenment campaigns involving the Police, NAPTIP, some diplomatic missions, State governments, NGOs and other stakeholders.

National Report:
Para 26) Section 34 (1) (a) of the Constitution protects the dignity of human person by stating that every individual is entitled to respect to the dignity of his or her person and accordingly no person shall be subjected to inhuman or degrading treatment. Nigeria has implemented this recommendation through the enactment of the Violence against Persons (Prohibition) Act 2015(VAPPA). This Act eliminates violence in private and public life; prohibit all forms of violence including physical, sexual, psychological, domestic violence; harmful traditional practices; discrimination against persons and provide maximum protection and effective remedies for victims and punishment of offenders.
Para 38) Section 34 (1) (a) of the Constitution protects the dignity of human person by stating that every individual is entitled to respect to the dignity of his or her person and accordingly no person shall be subjected to inhuman or degrading treatment. In addition, the following legislative measures aim at combating harmful cultural practices. Legislative measures: (a) Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act 2015; (b) … (d) Prohibition of Child trafficking by the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Law Enforcement and Administration Act 2015;
Para 98) The challenges contained in the second cycle UPR report remain the same, though the current federal and state governments are working very hard to overcome these challenges and several reforms and initiatives are yielding positive results. Some of the main challenges are: … (e) Difficulties in breaking through entrenched mind set on harmful traditional practices affecting the human rights of women and children.

UN Compilation:
Para 8) Referring to the relevant recommendations from the previous review, the United Nations country team stated that Nigeria had given effect to some of its treaty obligations by adopting … the Violence against Persons (Prohibition) Act (2015).
Para 48) [CEDAW] was also concerned that no specific measures had been taken to eradicate polygamous relationships.
Para 65) The Special Rapporteurs on health, on sale of children and on slavery noted that the Violence against Persons (Prohibition) Act prohibited all forms of violence and criminalized marital rape, female genital mutilation, forceful ejection from home and harmful widowhood practices. The Special Rapporteurs recommended that Nigeria ensure that the Act was adopted in those states that had yet to do so.
Para 67) Referring to the relevant recommendations from the previous review, the United Nations country team stated that the Violence against Persons (Prohibition) Act prohibited female genital mutilation, which had been banned in 12 of the 36 states. The country team considered the implementation of those recommendations to be ongoing.