By Justina Abbah, Abuja.<\/p>\n
Law enforcement and judicial officials have been urged to undergo specialised training to better recognise and respond to crimes targeting persons with disabilities.<\/span><\/p>\n Participants at a landmark stakeholders dialogue on disability inclusion and crime prevention held last Friday at the United Nations House in Abuja, also called for a<\/span>wareness campaigns to dismantle stereotypes and promote universal accessibility in institutions and services.<\/span><\/p>\n The dialogue underscored the imperative that accessibility and protection from crime are fundamental human rights for persons with disabilities.<\/span><\/p>\n The event \u2014 <\/span>\u201cInclusive Crime Prevention and Transnational Threats: Integrating Persons with Disabilities\u201d<\/b><\/span> \u2014 brought together government officials, representatives of disability advocacy groups, law enforcement, civil society, and international partners in a collaborative dialogue aimed at ensuring persons with disabilities are not left behind in Nigeria\u2019s national and global crime prevention agenda.<\/span><\/p>\n The dialogue reaffirmed Nigeria\u2019s leadership in implementing inclusive practices, encouraging stronger coordination between international partners, government agencies, and disability advocacy organisations. <\/span><\/p>\n UNODC\u2019s strategic vision for Nigeria 2026\u20132030 specifically emphasises the inclusion of persons with disabilities in crime prevention and justice programming.<\/span><\/p>\n Hosted in the Main Auditorium of the United Nations House, Mr. Danilo Campisi, Deputy Country Representative of UNODC Nigeria, delivered overview remarks on the organisation\u2019s commitment to an inclusive approach to crime prevention. <\/span><\/p>\n In his opening address Mr. <\/span>Mohammed Malick Fall<\/b><\/span>, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Nigeria, emphasised the importance of embedding disability inclusion within policies that combat organised crime and other transnational threats.<\/span><\/p>\n In a goodwill message, <\/span>Senior Special Assistant to the President on Disability Matters, Mohammed Isa Abba<\/b><\/span>, reiterated the federal government\u2019s commitment to disability rights and inclusive public safety. <\/span><\/p>\n The Accessibility is a human right: Global initiative promotes inclusive crime prevention for persons with disabilities in Nigeria<\/b> was represented by Theophilus Odaudu, while the National Association of the Blind offered spoken word performances and light music illustrating dignity and resilience.<\/span><\/p>\n Barr. <\/span>Ikem Uchegbulam<\/b><\/span>, Member of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD), highlighted other key focus areas of the dialogue:<\/span><\/p>\n \u2022 Inclusive Crime Prevention:<\/b><\/span> Speakers stressed that accessibility and inclusion are not privileges but fundamental human rights. Evidence and testimonies presented during discussions revealed that persons with disabilities are disproportionately vulnerable to organised crime, including trafficking, exploitation and fraud \u2014 an issue requiring bespoke prevention strategies.<\/span><\/p>\n \u2022 Legal and Policy Frameworks:<\/b><\/span> Participants reviewed existing Nigerian laws and international instruments \u2014 including the <\/span>Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)<\/b><\/span> \u2014 and explored ways to align national frameworks with global standards. <\/span><\/p>\n During a focused group discussion, disability rights advocate <\/span>Abidemi Omotola<\/b><\/span> remarked that as Nigeria intensifies efforts against transnational crime, adopting an inclusive approach signifies a major advancement. \u201cSafeguarding the rights of persons with disabilities not only strengthens societal cohesion but also enhances the effectiveness of crime prevention efforts at all levels,\u201d Omotola stated.<\/span><\/p>\n This stakeholder dialogue builds on recent national efforts in disability inclusion, including push for accessible budgeting, awareness campaigns, and policy dialogues that advocate for meaningful participation of persons with disabilities in all facets of public life.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Organisers of the event expressed hope that today\u2019s discussions will translate into concrete action \u2014 with commitments from partners to mainstream disability considerations across national crime prevention strategies and cross-border cooperation frameworks.<\/span> By Justina Abbah, Abuja. Law enforcement and judicial officials have been urged to undergo specialised training to better recognise and respond to crimes targeting persons with disabilities. Participants at a landmark stakeholders dialogue on disability inclusion and crime prevention held last Friday at the United Nations House in Abuja, also called for awareness campaigns to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":96674,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[7705,7704,7706],"class_list":["post-96673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","tag-accessibility","tag-disabilities","tag-human-right"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96673","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=96673"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96673\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/96674"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=96673"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=96673"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=96673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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