Lawyers Alert Trains Lawyers On Litigating Reproductive Rights

A Non-Governmental Organization, Lawyers Alert in partnership with Afya na Haki (Ahaki), has trained selected lawyers in Nigeria on Strategic Impact Litigation (SIL) for Reproductive Rights in the country.

The training which was aimed at expanding access to reproductive services and to reduce reproductive rights prosecutions in the country, through setting precedence, conducting SIL and rapid legal response was part of the implementation of the project ‘’Litigating Reproductive Rights in Nigeria’’ funded by Afyna Na Ahaki.

At the training held between 25th and 26th of May in Abuja has further enhanced the legal capacity of lawyers advocating for and protecting reproductive rights through strategic litigation approaches.

The President of Lawyers Alert, Barrister Rommy Mom expressed worry that despite that Nigeria is a signatory to the Mapotu Protocol for several years, the country is yet to domesticate the Protocol, which denies its enforceability.

He said that denial of access to Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) services, poor quality service, and restrictive laws are among the various violations restricting reproductive rights of individuals in the country.

Mom noted that this has resulted in high maternal deaths, making Nigeria one of the countries with the highest maternal mortalities in the world.

He posited that efforts made to expand the legislation on reproductive rights to align with the Maputo Protocol at the federal and state levels, have yielded little results.

He attributed the lack of progress to many factors, such as the inadequate capacity of civil society organisations to recognize and understand reproductive rights, culture/religious bias, inadequate capacity of lawyers to engage in strategic litigation in this area, and the inadequately sensitised judiciary as concerns SRHR.

According to him, “one of the ways to address this is to engage progressive and collaborative SRHR litigation towards expanding access to reproductive rights for women and girls in Nigeria.”

“Lawyers Alert believes that by building the capacity of lawyers to offer pro bono services on SRHR-related issues, and establishment of a secure and supportive environment wherein women and healthcare workers can freely provide and access reproductive services, the prevalence of SRHR violations will significantly reduce”, Mom noted. Participants at the training said it broadened their knowledge and strengthened their capacity around SRHR litigation within the country.

Awosemusi Helen Modupe a director, State Ministry of Justice, Oyo state explained that the outcomes of the training extends beyond individual cases and contributes to the larger goal of protecting and advancing reproductive rights in Nigeria.

The lawyers that attended the training were drawn from different states in the country from where the Lawyers are strategically engaging the legal system, setting positive precedents, providing rapid legal responses, and strengthened advocacy efforts.

The trained lawyers expressed gratitude to the organizers as they resolved to work together as a team in addressing reproductive rights issues in Nigeria using Strategic Impact Litigation.