Ipas, an International nongovernmental organisation working to reduce abortion-related death and injuries has organised a ‘mock’ court proceedings to test the effectiveness of the laws on abortion in the country.
The proceedings aims at increasing women’s ability to exercise their sexual and reproductive rights, especially as hundreds of Nigerian women die every day of complications arising from unsafe abortions across the nation.
This follows the lack of commitment by the Nigerian government to reform restrictive domestic laws and policies that placed women and girls’ health and lives at risk, as well as preventing them from exercising rights that the government had committed to under the international law.
Country director of Ipas (Nigeria) Mr. Lucky Palmer, during the proceedings in Abuja, noted that Nigeria is signatory to international conventions on abortions, adding that the judiciary is beginning to support in pushing the law through considering the increasing abortion related death cases.
“I’m happy that we have lawyers who are ready to take the call towards a journey to change our system.
“The society perishes when we don’t move to change and we are starting a journey that will change our system for good.
“When I read part of the high court judgment of Kano, I realised that most of the authorities were of the international conventions and it gives me hope that we are beginning to see some changes in our judicial system and people are not just stereotyped by the Nigerian constitution and law but looking at what happens in other climes and what international conventions Nigeria is signed to.
“This is the right time to make it work and we hope that this works,” he stated.
Ipas, lawyers organise mock court proceedings on abortion laws
