An NGO, Prisoners Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA) has called for the decriminalization and declassification of petty offences in Kano state

The PRAWA programme Coordinator in Kano, Hajiya Kaltume Mohammed made the call at a one-day Dissemination Workshop Agenda in Kano on Monday.

She said the organisation was working with relevant stakeholders to increase level of awareness especially among vulnerable groups on petty offences in the state.

She said under the programme, Decriminalization and Declassification of petty offences in Nigeria, PRAWA was looking at the ways on decriminalization of and declassification of petty offences with a view to ensuring prisons decongestion in the state and the country.

She said creating awareness on petty offences especially among the vulnerable in the society would go along way in assisting the vulnerable groups in the society to be aware of such petty offences and avoid them.

“There is need to identify all those laws and the petty offences to enlighten people. We hope government will give us the necessary support,”she said.

Mohammed said decriminalization and declassification of such petty offences is necessary to reduce prisons congestion in the country.

She said the organisation was also working with other Non-governmental organisations to take the advocacy to Kano state government.

According to her, PRAWA had concluded arrangements to train some commercial sex workers and other vulnerable groups on some trades to enable them be self-reliant.

“We are working with some NGOs to empower some commercial sex workers who claimed they are in the business because of the current economic recession.

She said the workshop was organised to assess existing laws and acts on petty offences in the state as well as to see how improve free legal service to vulnerable groups.

In her remarks, the state Chairperson of FIDA and PRAWA board member, Hajiya Fatima Kawu called on the media to take up the challenge by embarking on massive Public enlightenment on petty offences.

NNN reports that the workshop was attended by various stakeholders including representatives of Legal Aid Council, police, prisons and National Human Rights Commission, among others.

Source