What is PRAWA

PRAWA is a non-governmental charitable organization, which promotes human rights for people in prison while working to help those who have survived their prison term to successfully integrate into the community. It has observer status with the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

Established in December 1994, PRAWA exists to provide practical support services to prisoners, ex-prisoners, survivors of torture, youth-at-risk, and their families. PRAWA’s main focus is on promoting Transformative justice models that recognize healing and accessible justice for victims, offenders and the community. PRAWA carries out its programmes through the following activities: training of prison officers and other criminal justice agents on human rights and good practice, policy advocacy, research, public awareness, and provision of prison/community based support services for target groups. PRAWA is a member of the National NGO Coalition on Penal Reform (a network of over 85 NGOs and religious bodies working on prisons and penal reform in Nigeria) and serves as its National Secretariat. It is also the coordinating center for of the Network of Specialised Rehabilitation Centres for the Treatment of Torture Survivors in Nigeria, and a member of the Sub Saharan Network Against Torture and Organised Violence (SANTOV).

Words From The Founder, Dr. Uju Agomoh

Although PRAWA was established in 1994, its story began from 1989 when I was posted as a member of the Nigerian National Youth Service Corps to the Ondo State Police Command (Police Public Relations Office). My principal assignment was the daily review and identification of reports on the Nigerian Police in Newspapers. I was also expected to not only bring it to the attention of the Commissioner of Police but also develop draft media responses for such news articles or reports.

The alarming rate of negative news reports on the Police necessitated my seeking permission from the Commissioner of Police (CP Zanda Iduma, of blessed memory) to allow me visit all the police units and spend some time interacting with detainees at the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) and Prisons in the State. He consented. This provided opportunity for me to carry out an in depth research on the socio-demographic characteristics of detainees in prisons and police detention. With the technical assistance of Dr. Ahamefule Agomoh (then a resident doctor at the Federal Neuro-psychiatric Hospital, Yaba, Lagos State) the research was successfully completed.

The outcome of this research was quite revealing for me.

I realized that everyone in prison (irrespective of whether innocent or guilty) requires some attention. For those that were guilty, there were common challenges like little or no education, poor job skills, unemployment, drug abuse, physical abuse, poor social skills, among other. For the innocent, there were usually issues of poverty, the feeling of being powerless, poor social support network, among several others. Thus, indicating that society has the ability to facilitate or prevent crime and offending behavior. Influenced by this, I began to take greater interest on prison issues. My B.Sc in Sociology (Deviant Behaviour), Mphil in Criminology, and PhD Degrees focused on various aspects of criminal justice and prison related issues.

The Civil Liberties Organisation’s publication on prisons titled ‘Behind the Wall’ written by Chidi Odinkalu and Lanre Ehonwa which documented conditions of prisoners in several prisons in Nigeria was quite enlightening. It opened my eyes to the fact that the problems of human rights abuses within the justice system- including poor prison conditions- were actually experienced in various states across the country. I was determined to do something towards addressing these problems but at this stage it was not clear what I needed to do.

Through the advice and assistance of my peers and family members, I commenced the formation of the organization whose inaugural meeting took place on 16^th December 1994 in University of Lagos. The name Prisoners’ Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA) was given by some inmates and staff of the Medium Security Prison, Kirikiri- Lagos State. They made it clear that ‘rehabilitation’ and ‘welfare’ were so key to them and should be reflected in the name.