Joy Ezeilo

Joy Ngozi Ezeilo is a Nigerian professor of public law and a six-year United Nations Special Rapporteur on Trafficking persons in Africa. She is a former Commissioner for Gender and Social Development, Enugu State, a senior advocate of Nigeria and an activist. She was a former Dean and HOD of faculty of law University of Nigeria Nsukka and the founder of the Women Aid Collective (WACOL). She is a receipent of Officer of the Order of Niger (OON) and one of the 2022 BBC 100 Women.

Quotes

• I am not saying men are not victims of sexual violence, men are trafficked too, but women and girls are disproportionately affected. This is because of their already weak position in the society and family. The prevailing social norms, patriarchal structures, the power relations, the dichotomy between public and private space; if you look at all these, you will see they are the ones in worse positions. When you want to help, you start with helping the most oppressed. The idea and the ideal is that nobody should suffer any violence or human right violation, but then you have to start from the ones that are least protected or most vulnerable.
  • Her opinion in an interview
• Feminism is misconceived. It is about placing equal value on both gender; if you have a girl child, you value the girl child as you value your boy child. You don’t bring in the preference ideology. You give equal opportunities educationally and otherwise; you don’t say you go and cook because she is a girl; you train them equally as humans with equal right.
  • Her opinion in an interview
• human trafficking is adding shame to humanity.
  • Her opinion in an interview
• In recognition of your efforts in advancing this mandate, the Steering Committee of the awards gala have selected you as a finalist in the category for Civil Society.
• The award is convened in partnership with the British High Commission, the European Union, delegation and the Embassies of France, Germany, and the United States of America.
• UNN, said “in fact, the way they did it, I didn’t even know that I won. I was just invited and was announced the winner at the event.
• I think it is a very big thing which should be captured in our media reports because it has not been reported in any media platform.
  • [1]
• Nigeria is part of UDHR of 1948 which states that all humans are born free and equal in dignity and rights regardless of gender, national or social origin and property.
• The principle of equality and non-discrimination which Nigeria recognises and claims to uphold are a combination of both international and regional human rights instruments.
• These instruments are from bodies such as Convention on Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), Convention on Elimination of All forms of Racial Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
• The instruments also include the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and a host of others.
• Despite all these and the entrenchment of human rights in the constitution, Nigeria leads when it comes to denying women of equality, justice and opportunities.
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