WOTCLEF Executive Director, was among the 40 stakeholders invited to the forum for strengthening the capacities of West African States to develop a human rights-based response to Smuggling of Migrants and to effectively respond to human rights violations related to irregular migration forum.
In February 2024, the United Nations Human Rights Council hosted the 45th session of the Universal Periodic Review Working Group where Nigeria received three hundred and forty six (346) recommendations. The Universal Periodic Review (UPR), is a unique mechanism of the Human Rights Council that calls each United Nations State to undergo a peer review of its human rights every 4.5 years.
Nigeria was among the 14 countries that had their human rights record examined. The recommendations during the review had recurring topics of discussion centering on the protection of the rights of women countering human trafficking, implementing national strategies to eradicate child labour and forced marriages, abolishing death penalty amongst others. The office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights in conjuction with the National Human Rights Commission organised the forum to call on all and sundry to consider Migrants in a positive light “because they contribute positively to develop the nation”. The event held at Bolton White Hotel, Abuja, on February 26 and 27, 2025.
The call is vital for the implementation by Nigeria of the recommendations of the Committee on Migrants Workers (CMW) considered at the 45th session of the Universal Periodic Review.
The human rights of everyone must be protected regardless of their status including that of Migrants Workers and their families.
