By Doris U Innocent Esq
Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights or SRHR is the concept of human rights applied to sexuality and reproduction and these rights are protected by international laws. SRHR guarantees a number of rights to individuals, some of these rights are; The right to equality and non-discrimination, the right to life, liberty and security of the person, the right to autonomy and bodily integrity, the right to be free from torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, the right to be free from all forms of violence and coercion, the right to privacy, the right to the highest attainable standard of health, including sexual health; with the possibility of pleasurable, satisfying, and safe sexual experiences. In our society today, there are sexual minority groups which these laws seek to protect and among them are the Sexual minorities.
The concept of Sexual minorities is fairly new to our continent Africa and our country Nigeria. It is proven that man fights and opposes anything he is not familiar with. The concept is alien to our society’s tradition, culture, religion and beliefs. Thus the concept is met with hostility and adverse opposition. Most communities are part of the sexual minority groups presently, in Nigeria. Due to the peculiar nature of their circumstance, Sexual minorities suffer a lot of Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) violations in the hands of members of the society. The passage of the Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Bill (SSMPA) 2014 into law in Nigeria has heightened the rate of violations suffered by members. Over the years many of these groups have experienced homophobic stigma, discrimination and violence. This has driven sexual minorities to hide their identity and sexual orientation. Many fear a negative reaction from members of the society. Reports of indiscriminate arrests by law enforcement officers were also made from different parts of the country. These acts of injustice, discrimination and violence have led to the intervention of some civil society organizations in ensuring that the human rights of these affected persons are protected. It has also led to the rise of the SRHR movement in the country, which has consequently led to the nationwide awareness and sensitization programs held by different Civil Society Organizations (CSOs). This write up is aimed at giving you credible information on the SRHR violations of communities in Nigeria.
In partnership with AmplifyChange, Lawyers Alert an NGO, in the last two years has been monitoring and documenting Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights violations in Nigeria. Within these two years, they have released findings on these rights violations with regard to the sexual minorities. Their findings are published and updated every six months. Their reports can be found at http://www.lawyersalertng.org/res.php
This documentation is done via their online tool styled “LadockT” http://colahr.org/lawyersalert/index.php which automatically analyzes these violations across locations with regard to State and Local Government.
It is important to note that, as it relates to Nigeria as a geographical entity, the findings here may not represent the entire facts nationally. The project that birthed this tool is focused in 12 states.
Nevertheless, these findings are critical owing to their veracity and mode of collation.
Based on the analysis on communities, Ikeja in Lagos State has the highest reported violation rate, followed by Kosofe in the same Lagos State, while Gboko in Benue State ranks third on violation rate. Damban in Bauchi State and Gwagwalada in the Federal Capital Territory both rank forth. Lastly Biu in Bornu State ranks the least with regards to MSM violation rate.
On the analysis of age range with regards to these groups, 25-40 years and 20-24 year both have the highest violation rate with 38% while 10-19 years with 24%.
Information gotten from the Lawyers Alert’s tool shows the report of violations as regard to the group, within the time range ( July, 2017 – April, 2019) 20-24 years and 25-40 years has been leading age group in the increase to reported violations in local government areas in States, followed closely by 10 – 19 years age group. From the tool it is also shown that, Physical abuse and Verbal Abuse have the highest reported violation rate with 13%. Followed closely by Emotional Abuse having 12%, Blackmailing and Sexual Expression both rank third with 11% each. Personal Security and Freedom to Associate both rank fourth with 10% respectively. Forced Detention has 7%, Freedom of Movement and Economic Abuse both have 6% each. Quality Healthcare has 4%, Harassment has 3%. Privacy has 2%, Sexual Exploitation and Rape both have the least amount with 1% each. These facts are stated more clearly in the table below.VIOLATION TYPES – MSMJULY 2017APRIL 2019Physical Abuse–13%Rape–1%Verbal Abuse–13%Harassment–3%Emotional Abuse–12%Freedom to Associate–10%Economic Abuse–6%Blackmailing–11%Privacy–2%Freedom of Movement–6%Quality Healthcare–4%Sexual Expression–11%Personal Security–10%Forced detention–7%Sexual Exploitation.–1%
It is hoped that this document will help to highlight the dangers of communities exposed to. It should also be stated that the data represented in this report is based only on that obtained from the Lawyers Alert online portal. It is important to note that, all violations recorded were verified. Flowing from all of the above it is clear that members of communities, are beginning to speak up and that the society is becoming a more SRHR conscious one with regard to communities. Nevertheless, there is still need for more awareness programs as many victims of these violations are still stuck in their shells and many more members of the society need to be enlightened.