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Human rights defender at risk

on July 18, 2007
Category: LGBT, Human Rights, Nigeria

Nigerian, Human Rights Defender and founder of The International Centre for reproductive health and Sexual rights (INCRESE) in Niger State, Dorothy Aken’Ova has been ostracised and intimidated by family and community because of the work she does.

Social activists and Frontline HRD like Dorothy are a special group of people who put their lives at risk to defend the rights of others. Dorothy has been defending sexual rights and the reproductive rights of women in Nigeria for over 10 years. When one considers her work is concentrated mainly in the North of the country in those states where Sharia law has been adopted as part of the state legal system, her stance on sexual and reproductive rights places her at even more risk.

For the past 12 months, Dorothy has also been at the forefront of the the campaign to prevent the passing of the Nigerian “Same Sex Marriage Bill”. This has involved attending campaign meetings in Abuja, attending House and Senate hearings, making press statements and addressing sexuality rights in Nigeria at the World Social Forum as well as the sessions of The African Commission on Human and People’s Rights. Because of her public stance against the Same Sex Marriage Bill and her work on sexual and reproductive rights, Dorothy’s ex-husband, who lives in Lagos, is now denying her access to their 8 year old son using the courts to further exercise control over her life. Dorothy’s work as a Frontline Human Rights Defender has led her to approach her life and faith from a human rights perspective rather than approaching human rights from a reactionary fundamentalist view that is exclusive and inflexible. For this she is now paying the price of loosing her child, perhaps for ever.

Dorothy is asking people to please show their support by for her by linking to this post and / or writing to human rights organisations asking them to support her legal challenge to the denial of access of her son.

Madre
Human Rights Watch
Amnesty International
Frontline Defenders
International Gay and Lesbian Association

International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission

Tags: Nigeria; Human Rights Defender;

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