Our Stakeholder report to Nigeria’s Universal Periodic Review, led by Dr Alice Storey and Dr Philip Oamen, makes specific recommendations to the government regarding female genital mutilation.
Researchers
Consultancy background
This Stakeholder Report focuses upon the eradication of female genital mutilation and makes recommendations to the Government of Nigeria on this key issue, implementation of which would see Nigeria move towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 5 which aims for “gender equality and empowering all women and girls.”
On 10 November 2023, the UN’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights published its Stakeholder Summary Report for Nigeria, which cited the Stakeholder Report submitted by UPR Project at BCU:
UPR-BCU stated that as a former British colony, Nigeria had a complex and mixed legal system consisting of English common law, Islamic law, and customary law, which was operational in a federal system, comprised of the Federal Government and 36 States. (para 5)
UPR-BCU stated that the fight against female genital mutilation was hindered by the dysfunctional workings of multiple government institutions. (para 16)
Outcome of the Review
The outcome of the review published on 26 March 2024 in the Report of the Working Group provided the following UN Member State recommendations related to the UPR Project at BCU’s report:
Continue its efforts to eliminate female genital mutilation. Recommending states: Canada (152.26); Greece (152.140); Somalia (152.168); Botswana (152.267); Burundi (152.268); Côte d’Ivoire (152.269); Ecuador (152.270); Eswatini (152.271); Lesotho (152.272); Niger (152.273); Portugal (152.275); Spain (152.276); Ukraine (152.282); Comoros (152.283); Italy (152.292).
Accelerate efforts towards the eradication of female genital mutilation, including through increased public education and awareness-raising campaigns and providing access to justice for victims. Recommending states: Bahamas (152.266); Philippines (152.274); Timor-Leste (152.281); Zimbabwe (152.284).
About the UPR Project at BCU
The Centre for Human Rights (CHR) has been engaging with the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) since 2016. Under the auspice of the Human Rights Council, the UPR is an intergovernmental process providing a review of the human rights record of all Member States.
Through the UPR Project at BCU, the CHR we engage with the UPR through taking part in the UPR Pre-sessions, providing capacity building for UPR stakeholders and National Human Rights Institutions, and the filing of stakeholder reports in selected sessions. The UPR Project is designed to help meet the challenges facing the safeguarding of human rights around the world, and to help ensure that UPR recommendations are translated into domestic legal change in member state parliaments.
We fully support the UPR ethos of encouraging the sharing of best practice globally to protect everyone's human rights. The UPR Project at BCU engages with the UPR regularly as a stakeholder, having submitted numerous reports and been cited by the OHCHR.