UPR Sexual Rights Database

National Report:
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 62) Under section 46 (1) of the Constitution, women who are victims of violence and discrimination may apply to a High Court for redress by way of fundamental rights enforcement proceedings in the event of the application of any law that allows violence and discrimination against them. Nigerian courts have on several occasions declared null and void all laws and customs that are not in the spirit of the Constitution in this regard.

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 ... 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.

National Report:
Para 24) The executive arm of government has engaged with the Principal Officers of the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly with a view to accelerating the process of passing into law all human rights-based bills.

Para 25) The Government is making efforts to ensure the enactment into law pending human rights related bills before the National Assembly within the tenure of this administration as a demonstration of its commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights in Nigeria.

UN Compilation:
Para 3) In 2012, Nigeria reported in follow-up to the concluding observations of CEDAW, that the Convention was yet to be incorporated into national law, but that there were ongoing consultative efforts to pave the way for such incorporation.

Stakeholder Summary:
Para 1) NHRC stated that since its Universal Period Review, Nigeria has acceded to and/or ratified key human rights instruments. However, most of these treaties were yet to be enacted into domestic legislation.

Para 12) HRAN referred to those recommendations in paragraph 103.2 of the Report and stated that a number of human rights bills including the Gender and Equal Opportunities Bill ... remained pending before the National Assembly.

Para 15) DD stated that Nigeria was a party to ... CEDAW but that those instruments were yet to be incorporated into national law.

National Report:
Para 40) … d) The Launch of a Campaign to End Child Marriage in Nigeria and a National Strategy to End Child Marriage in Nigeria 2017-2021.

Stakeholder Summary:
Para 88) JS12 expressed concern about the high rates of child marriage and the need to address the underlying factors that contributed to early marriage. JS16 stated that state legislation on the minimum age of marriage varied from state to state.

Stakeholder Summary:
Para 10) JS8 stated that … Nigeria had continued to allow the violation of the rights of the LGBT population, despite its obligations to protect those rights arising from several international human rights conventions to which it was a party.
Para 11) JS5 recalled that Nigeria had not supported any of the recommendations from the previous review that inter alia related to the repealing of those laws that discriminated based on sexual orientation and gender identity.16 Certain provisions in the Criminal Code, Penal Code and the National Law and Drug Enforcement Act had disproportionately affected gay men, … The Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act had negative consequences beyond the deprivation of marriage rights for gay men and women. JS5 stated that, under Sharia law the penalty for homosexuality was death. The Violence against Persons (Prohibition) Act of 2015, had done little to protect gay men, female sex workers and intravenous drug users as vulnerable populations. AFA stated that the Act was yet to be incorporated into domestic legislation in all states.
Para 12) JS8 stated that expansive provisions of the Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act had served to codify homophobia and transphobia. JS12 stated that the Act, which generally criminalized same sex relationships, had created additional criminal offences that targeted persons based on their sexual orientation. JS8 stated that the Act had effectively legalized discrimination and had allowed people to act with impunity. Since its enactment there had been an increase in crimes and human rights violations against LGBT persons and their defenders. JS13 stated that the Act and other discriminatory laws had been used to subject the LGBT community to violations including invasion of privacy, assault and battery, black mail and extortion, denial of access to amenities and education.
Para 13) Referring to a relevant study, JS12 noted a significant increase in fear in seeking healthcare services by men who had sex with men after the enactment of the Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act (2014). JS13 stated that sections 5(2) and (3) of the Act had hindered access to Anti-Retroviral Vaccines, HIV testing and counselling services. JS8 stated that LGBT persons had experienced difficulties in accessing health care services. The denial of such services would have a negative impact on Nigeria’s progress towards HIV eradication.
Para 15) JS5 stated that gay men, … had experienced significant discrimination, influenced by traditional culture as well as religious moral values.
Para 64) JS13 stated that LGBT persons had been subjected to forced, violent and arbitrary evictions.
Para 75) JS8 stated that homophobic bullying in schools had proven to be a serious impairment to adequate access to education. There had also been a failure to provide comprehensive and inclusive education on sexual orientation and gender identity in schools.

National Report:
Para 24) The executive arm of government has engaged with the Principal Officers of the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly with a view to accelerating the process of passing into law all human rights-based bills.

Para 25) The Government is making efforts to ensure the enactment into law pending human rights related bills before the National Assembly within the tenure of this administration as a demonstration of its commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights in Nigeria.

UN Compilation:
Para 3) In 2012, Nigeria reported in follow-up to the concluding observations of CEDAW, that the Convention was yet to be incorporated into national law, but that there were ongoing consultative efforts to pave the way for such incorporation.

Stakeholder Summary:
Para 1) NHRC stated that since its Universal Period Review, Nigeria has acceded to and/or ratified key human rights instruments. However, most of these treaties were yet to be enacted into domestic legislation.

Para 12) HRAN referred to those recommendations in paragraph 103.2 of the Report and stated that a number of human rights bills including the Gender and Equal Opportunities Bill ... remained pending before the National Assembly.

Para 15) DD stated that Nigeria was a party to ... CEDAW but that those instruments were yet to be incorporated into national law.