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Work Structure of the Women’s Rights
Advocacy Program in the Organization
Mission:
To promote human rights in general, gender equality and
good governance through sensitization, awareness creating
and strengthening of civil society organization and CBOs
in the Niger Delta region.
Our Vision:
To create a society where men and women enjoy human
rights, fair participation and representation in the
governance of the country, a society of equality between
men and women, and freedom from discrimination in human
rights and fundamental freedoms in the political,
economic, social, cultural or any other field.
Objectives:
This unit as the name implies deals with gender related
issues specifically women and children. The unit creates
awareness on gender related issues, democracy and good
governance through sensitisation and enlightenment
programmes using multi-media approach. The unit provides
appropriate information and education. The unit also
networks with Civil Society Organisations nationally and
internationally to share information and experience in the
area of democracy, good governance, and gender human
rights.
The aim of creating awareness and sensitizing the people,
particularly Women, and Children on their rights and other
related issues is to bring to the fore the realization
that it is time their fundamental rights are not robbed
off in the name of tradition. It is also to raise the
interest of the people (particularly women to participate
in democratic government. Women are also enlightened on
their rights and responsibilities in the entire electoral
process thus empowering and effectively mobilising them to
participate in Civic activities.
There are a lot of practices and policies put in place
that are not favourable to women. These practices can be
abolished and replaced with favourable policies and
practices when women are adequately empowered to
participate in civic activities where they will be exposed
to decision-making opportunities.
The Women Human Rights Education unit works in conjunction
with other departments in the Institute to achieve this.
Strategies
• Workshops and Seminars
• Capacity Building /Training
• Free Legal Aid Scheme
• Civic Education and Civic Forum
• Research
• Press Releases
Programme Activities
The women’s right unit of the Organization realizes that
women empowerment can be achieved by education and
Information (gathering and sharing). A great deal of our
activities involves using the tool of information and
informal education to effect the desired changes.
Activities
• Workshops and Seminars:
Workshops and seminars are essential requirements in
creating awareness and bringing about attitudinal changes
in individuals groups and stakeholders involved in the
promotion of women’s rights. Addressing critical issues
means that experts in very issues affecting the
development of women are employed as mediums of
communicating changes. Also the Training the Trainer (TOT)
programmes are also ways of building capacity amongst
women. Women are trained who in turn train other number of
women. The result is that a lot of people are directly or
indirectly affected and this brings about a lot of
positive changes.
• Community forums:
Another important part of our activities are the community
forums where we take our enlightenment campaigns to the
communities. Our approach in effect is that we identify
communities that have peculiar needs and communities where
certain cultural and traditional practices against women
go uninhibited. In cases like this, taking the message of
enlightenment is very indispensable. Women are also
enlightened on their rights and responsibilities in the
entire electoral process thus empowering and effectively
mobilizing them to participate in Civic activities.
• Civic Education programme:
The civic education programme focuses primarily on the
students. Identifying relevant issues bothering on the
rights of students especially on Reproductive Health and
Rights, right to education and right to equal
representation in private and public positions,
Participation in the democratic processes, make up a large
scope of activities that fall under the civic education
unit.
• Networking
As stated earlier, information gathering and dissemination
forms a very vital component of creating awareness.
Information amongst other CBOs is very crucial as it
fosters and strengthens working relationship between
stakeholders and groups who are desirous of change in the
society.
Programme Focus Area.
• Human Rights
• Women’s Human Rights/Gender equality
• Democracy and good governance.
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