By Olawale Oyegbade
Data on human rights abuse associated with petty offences in Nigeria covering the period October 2019 and March 2020 have been released by Lawyers Alert. The Data detailing the analysis of human rights violations based on types of petty offences is with a view to serving as useful tool for advocacy towards decriminalization of petty offences in the country.
The findings on Petty Offences in Nigeria by Lawyers Alert, a non-profit body, in partnership with Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) focused on ten violations most rampant, reported and monitored.
These offences include indiscriminate disposal of waste, wandering or loitering, disobedience to parents or constituted authorities, alms seeking, hawking, public display of affection, violation of traffic or wrong parking, breach of promise, commercial sex work, sexual minorities and being a rogue or vagabond.
The President of Lawyer Alert, Barrister Rommy Mom said the data was accurate, credible and represented true picture of the state of human rights violations associated with Petty Offences.
His words “Our documentation process seats on our already existing structure of producing data in other spheres. Lawyers Alert has an online tool that automatically analyses data according to geographic locations (774 LGAs), age, sex, types and so on. This tool has given us the plank to produce data in Nigeria on several issues ranging from SRHR to sexual minorities. In producing the data on Petty Offences, the online tool was expanded to also capture violations associated with petty offenses."
The Chairman, Governing Board, Lawyers Alert, Dr. Magdalene Dura said petty offences were created by colonial masters in attempt to have a strong hold on people and their right to self-expression and determination. She frowned that petty offenses offend human rights particularly rights to movement, expression, liberty, and dignity of person. She said “Petty offences often times have no victims, for example, wandering/loitering, rogue/vagabond, hawking”