PRAWA was established on 16th December 1994, to promote safety and security in the African community by a creating humane criminal justice system. This is achieved through service delivery to the community in general; to particular vulnerable groups, such as prisoners, ex-prisoners, torture survivors, youths-at-risk, women, and the affected families; as well as to other personnel and stakeholders working within the formal and informal security, justice and penal systems.
Mission statement
To promote development, safety and security in African communities by creating a just, humane and effective criminal justice system. PRAWA promotes human rights of people in prisons, and works to help those who have survived their prison terms to successfully integrate into the community. The organisation provides support services to prisoners, ex-prisoners, youths-at-risks, torture victims and their families; it also engages with prison staff, the police, the judiciary, parliamentarians, legislators, and other relevant stakeholders in achieving its mandate.
Objectives
PRAWA’s primary objectives are:
· To provide treatment/rehabilitation and support to torture victims, prisoners, youths-at-risk and their families;
· To provide training and capacity development for health professionals, lawyers, criminal justice agents, journalists, parliamentarians, prison officers, police, civil societies and youth at risk, ex-prisoners, and torture victims amongst others;
· To carry out research and advocacy on issues of torture, justice, prisons, security sector reform and social development;
· To carry out human rights monitoring, and encourage other internal and external oversight mechanisms.
Organizational structure
The organization is structured into Board/managerial members and the Secretariat, which is subdivided into four departments (Program, Human Resource, Administration and Accounts Department)
Board members
The organisation has a Governing Board which sits at the apex of PRAWA activities. This is made up of 12 members with multi-disciplinary backgrounds in research, policy and practice, in the fields of Public Health, Law, Social Development, and Justice /Security Sector Reform.
Names of Members of PRAWA Governing Board and their Designations:
· Chief Gabriel Toby - Board Chairman
§ Investments/Private sector links and partnership
§ Visibility, Coverage and Impact of PRAWA work in the Niger-Delta
· General Owoye Azazi (Rtd)
§ Security Sector Governance and Reform
· Hajia Fatima Kwaku
§ Justice Sector Reforms/ Engagement with Nigeria Bar Association
§ Visibility, Coverage and Impact of PRAWA work in the North
· Professor Yemi Osinbajo
§ Justice Sector Reforms / Ministry of Justice/Faith-Based activities and links
· Barrister Peter Eze
§ Justice Sector Reforms/
§ Visibility, Coverage and Impact of PRAWA work in the South East
· Dr. Fidelis Nde-Che
§ Technology Services and innovation schemes and partnerships
· Prof. Chiso Okafor
§ Resources Sources Links / Training and Educational Institution
§ Links/Technology equipment
§ Visibility, Coverage and Impact of PRAWA work in the USA and Canada
· Chief Emma Ibe Isichie
§ Links with the UN (Geneva Office)/Securing Consultative Status with the UN
§ Visibility, Coverage and impact of PRAWA work in the UK and other European countries
· Olusola Ogundipe (Current Controller General of Nigerian Prison)
§ Prison Reforms
§ Visibility, Coverage and Impact of PRAWA work in Nigeria Prisons and other African Prison through partnership with members of the African Correctional Services Association
· Uche Ohadugha (ex-officio) Past PRAWA Chair
§ For Instititutional memory
· Dr. Chidi Odinkalu
§ Strategy, Donor/Development Partners link/engagement
§ Visibility, Coverage and Impact of PRAWA work in international and regional institutions including with the African Human Rights Commission, African Union, ECOWAS
· Hon. Justice Alpha Belgore (Rtd) (Former Chief Justice of Nigeria)
§ Justice Sector Reform
· Dr. Uju Agomoh - Executive Director
§ Board Secretary
§ Day-to-day implementation of Board decision and follow- up
· Professor Etannibi Alemika
§ Security Sector Reform
Staff
PRAWA has 77 full-time/ volunteer staff:
· 16 full-time staff
· 61 volunteer staff
The full-time staff:
- PRAWA’s Executive Director – Dr. Uju Agomoh (whose academic training are in Psychology, Sociology, Criminology and Law from the University of Cambridge and University of London both in the UK and Universities of Jos, Lagos and Ibadan in Nigeria)
- Programme Coordinator (Social Development, Care and Support) - Seyi Osuntayo,(whose academic training are in Sociology, Development and Project Management from Nigerian and UK institutions)
- Henry Anoliefo - Programme Coordinator, (Justice and Security Sector)
- Admin Officer: Oby Aneke, (had her academic degree and work experience in Secretarial and Management Studies and Masters in Developmental Studies (in view) )
- Accounts Officer, Stella Otibe (Member, Nigerian Institute of Chartered Accountants)
- Legal Officer Chika Ilouga, who is a Practicing lawyer
- Research/Human Resources Officer – Seun Abiola (whose academic training are on Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Oxford University UK and Anthropology and Development from London School of Economics (LSE),UK)
- Project Officer - Agbor Anthony Odo (whose a B.sc and Masters Program was on Social work and Sociology of Development)
- Project Officer, Onyinye Ihezukwu, ( had her Academic training and work experience in Community Development),
- Project Officer, Mustapha Aina Adamoh,
- Psychologist/Research Officer – Jasper Ukachukwu
The volunteers consist of:
· 30 medical practitioners (with training/specialisations in public health, psychiatry, traumatology, surgery, etc)
· 28 legal practitioners
· 5 Psychologists including a professor of medical/clinical psychology (Prof. Peter Ebigbo) with extensive knowledge on child/developmental Psychology and Psychotherapy
Networks/ Memberships
· African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights (ACHPR)
· Amnesty International
· International Rehabilitation and Council for torture Victims (IRCT)
· Iinternational Correction and Prison Association (ICPA)
· International Association for Correctional and Forensic (IACF)
· World organization Against Torture (OMCT)
· National Human Rights Commission, Nigeria
· The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA)
· Network on Police Reform in Nigeria (NOPRIN), amongst others
