Thursday 20 March 2014

Nigeria withstands the international anti-life sexual rights lobby

Pat Buckley, SPUC's lobbyist at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, reports to me today:
Nigeria has been resisting pressure to change its laws on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. The outcome of the Nigerian Universal Periodic Review was presented at the Human Rights Council in Geneva on March 20th. H.E. Mr. Umunna Humphrey Orjiako (pictured right) spoke on behalf of behalf of Nigeria.
The report of the working group shows that Nigeria has rejected pressure from a number of member states to introduce 'same sex marriage'. Nigeria rejected the recommendations on sexual orientation and gender of the following states:
  • Austria
  • Czech Republic
  • Sweden
  • France
  • Uruguay
  • Argentina
  • Australia
  • Canada
  • The United States
Slovakia recommended the introduction of sex education in the school curricula and France called for the continuation of work in favour of women’s rights […] including respecting sexual and reproductive rights.
The Centre for Reproductive Rights called for more family planning, sex education and abortion and complained that there was inadequate access to so called 'safe abortion'.
ILGA, the gay-lesbian organization, substantially funded by the European Commission, expressed deep concern about the prohibition of same sex marriage. They complained about a witch-hunt against and arrests of homosexuals. They also complained that none of the recommendations on sexual orientation had been accepted by Nigeria.

Mr. Orjiako in winding up the debate told the meeting Nigeria does not witch-hunt anyone and the laws on 'same sex marriage' were arrived at through a democratic process to which no one can object.
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