By Kelvin Obambon
Worried by high incidence of human rights violations in tertiary institutions in Nigeria, Amnesty International has therefore launched a Human Right Clinic at the University of Calabar to check the ugly trend. The Clinic which replaces the Human Right Club, will have its activities coordinated by an executive body made up of students of the institution.
Speaking shortly after the launch and subsequent inauguration of the executive committee members that will oversee the affairs of the Human Right Clinic, Ms Helen Adah, Human Right Education Assistant at Amnesty International Nigeria, said that the Clinic is a platform for students to amplify their voices against all forms of human rights violations within and outside the University of Calabar.
“When you come together as a group, association or union when you say things your voices are amplified. With the launch of this Clinic the students can now advocate for and protect their human rights, and the rights of other persons. This is a platform that enable them do that effectively and impactfully,” she explained.
Adah also disclosed that Amnesty International Nigeria has Human Right Clinic in other tertiary institutions such as Benue State University, Enugu State University, Obafemi Awolowo University, ABU Zaria, among others.
“We hope to keep expanding to other universities because human rights concerns everybody. But for now we are taking it one university at a time,” she said.
Speaking further, she said that Amnesty International Nigeria has been collaborating with the University of Calabar on a number of activities which she highlighted to include “Our Write For Rights – a yearly campaign that we write for the rights of other people. People who have been deprived of their rights we come together to write for them to get their rights back.”
Adah said the students that would run the clinic were trained on basic human rights concepts and issues to enhance their capacity and ensure they effectively deliver on their assigned roles and responsibilities all directed towards curbing human rights abuses and violations in the university community.
“Our target is that after 6 months we should be able to educate a good number of persons in our individual departments. In one year we should be able to go beyond the school environment to primary and secondary schools in Calabar. We will keep pushing human rights education and let people know about their rights. Aside education we have our interesting and innovative activities such as human rights debates,” she concluded.
Also speaking, Coordinator of the Human Right Clinic, Mr Franklin Ubi, described the launch of the Clinic as a marvelous idea that was long overdue.
“We are really happy it has come, and all the students are excited. That is what is most important to us. The students appreciate it and are willing to be part of it. We will ensure the Clinic works and continue to push on,” Ubi who works in the university student affairs division, said.
On her part, the President of the Human Right Clinic, Miss Kosisochukwu Nwawube, who is a student of the faculty of law, disclosed that a structure has been put in place to enable the Clinic achieve its purpose of protecting and promoting human rights.
“We will ensure that we carry out proper investigation into cases of human rights abuse and violation. We’ve linkages to Amnesty International Nigeria, and we will take the cases to them and then they will send their team to come investigate. They will make sure that justice is served.
“We are going to also build partnerships and support with other NGOs and carry out lots of debates, advocacy campaigns, sensitization and awareness. Sexual abuse, discrimination, racism (tribalism) are rampant in the university and we believe by the time we round off our tenure it will be reduced to the barest minimum,” Nwawube said.
