Prisoners Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA), a non-governmental organization , has called for an end to the degrading treatment meted out to prisoners and ex-prisoners across the country and globally.
The Executive Director, PRAWA, Dr Uju Agomoh, made the call in Abuja during the organisation’s board meeting in preparation for its forthcoming 30th anniversary in 2024.
PRAWA was established in 1994 to ensure prisoners’ welfare, rehabilitation, promote institutional reforms, create access to justice and social development for prisoners, ex-prisoners, tortured victims and youths.
Agomoh said that there was need to end the culture of torture in correctional facilities and to stop custodial officers and the society from degrading prisoners and ex-prisoners.
“PRAWA has overtime provided treatment, rehabilitation and support for tortured victims and also promote human rights for prisoners; help those who have survived prison to successfully reintegrate into the community.
“The year 2024 will mark three decades of PRAWA’s efforts in pushing the boundary of criminal justice reform in Nigeria and Africa, through collaboration with other sector stakeholders.
“We urge that prisoners and torture victims be given their rights with real remedies such as fair human rights treatment and provide counseling services to meet their psychological needs.
“PRAWA will be working tirelessly in 2024 to ensure that the whole key issues around victims of torture ends, especially on how to ensure there is no longer continuation of impunity in the sector,” she said.
Agomoh said that in 2024, the organisation would set agenda for reform, build institutional capacity and development, scale-up initiatives for formal and informal sectors as well as build capacity of civil society organisations.
She called for research and advocacy on issues of torture, justice, prisons and security sector reform; and conduct of human rights monitoring of detention facilities among many other interventions.
The PRAWA boss said that for three decades, the group had recognised the root causes of the challenges faced in ensuring the effective rehabilitation of incarcerated persons and had developed into an entity whose objectives revolved around promoting institutional reforms.
“In this 30 years, a lot of experiences have been gathered and I believe that the experiences should begin to inspire us to be very intentional in the kind of strategy we make in advance,” she said.
Agomoh urged organisations with similar mandates not to relent to ensure that the welfare and rehabilitation of prisoners and ex-prisoners was prioritised.
She also called for partnerships and support to ensure the continuity of the organisation’s activities towards safe-guarding the rights of prisoners and ex-prisoners.
PRAWA Board Chairman, Chris Odili, commended the organisation and the entire management for their efforts in ensuring that prisoners’ rehabilitation in Nigeria was successful.
Odili said that the organisation was proud to have brought a lot of humanity to the lives of the down trodden and socially incarcerated.
“It is universally understood that how a society treats the vulnerable among them is a measurement of their moral standing and this is the area that PRAWA has chosen to build its work.
“PRAWA has helped to improve the lives of people in incarceration and influence policy through advocacy, workshops and interface with different agencies, partners and collaborators.
“We have helped to ensure a continuous improvement in our laws and processes, so that every human is treated with dignity even when they are in incarceration,“ he said.
Odili advised PRAWA to remain dedicated, committed in delivering its mandate by striving to ensure 2024 was more impactful for prisoners and the correctional system.
Also, a member of the board, Dr Joseph Morounfolu, said that passion and compassion for inmates’ was instrumental to the construction of a deep Well in Ile-Ife new Custodial Centre, Osun State.
Morounfolu urged PRAWA to continue to impact inmates and ensure that torture was eliminated in correctional centres.
