The Executive Director of Prisoners’ Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA), Dr Uju Agomoh, has been elected member of the United Nations Sub Committee on Prevention of Torture (UN SPT).
The election was held on 20th October, 2022 in Geneva.
The UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) is the international body established by the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture (OPCAT).
The Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT) is an international agreement aimed at preventing torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
The UN-SPT consists of 25 independent experts with a preventive mandate focused on a proactive approach to preventing torture and ill treatment.
According to press statement on Friday in Abuja, signed by a Media Advisor to PRAWA, Abdulkadir Ahmed Ibrahim, the SPT mandates are to monitor conditions in detention and treatment of persons deprived of their liberty through country visits; and to advise on OPCAT implementation, in particular support the establishing and functioning of National Preventive Mechanisms.
The Statement explained that Dr Uju Agomoh is the Founder and Director of PRAWA, a Nigerian civil society organisation which promotes human rights for people in prison and helps those who’ve survived prison to successfully integrate into the community.
PRAWA has functional and operational offices in Lagos, Kano, Enugu and its headquarters in Abuja.
Dr Uju Agomoh holds degrees in Law, Criminology, and Psychology which makes her strongly positioned to contribute to the work of the SPT through a holistic and multidisciplinary approach.
