Participants at the two-day training on Human Rights Reporting and Advocacy organized by the National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, have pledged to deploy the knowledge acquired to advance human rights protection and promotion in Nigeria in accordance with global best practices.
The training, which held in Abuja, focused on graphic design, using Canva, content creation and social media management, as well as news writing and storytelling from a human rights perspective.
Declaring the training open, the Executive Secretary of the Commission, Professor Tony Ojukwu, SAN, said human rights protection is not achieved only through investigations, interventions and policy recommendations, but also through the ability to communicate human rights issues accurately, clearly and strategically in ways citizens can understand and act upon.
Ojukwu who was represented by the Director of Civil and Political Rights, Halilu Adamu, noted that in today’s digital environment, how the human rights story is told can determine whether an important issue receives attention, whether a victim’s experience is understood, and whether the public becomes better informed about their rights and responsibilities.
He said the training will strengthen the commission’s ability to transform complex human rights issues into compelling and accessible visual content, particularly for young people and digital audiences.
In the same vein, he noted that social media has become one of the most powerful channels for public education, advocacy and engagement to disseminate information, highlight interventions, counter misinformation and engage citizens.
He charged every staff to cultivate a human rights communication culture that places accuracy, professionalism, ethics, empathy, dignity and strategic advocacy at the centre of everything the Commission communicates.
In her remarks, the Director, Corporate Affairs and External Linkages Department, Mrs Fatimah Agwai, said the training was convened to ensure the commission operates at par with world-class National Human Rights Institutions in line with Nigeria’s A-Status accreditation by the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions, GANHRI.
Agwai noted that the A-Status is not merely an award, but a recognition of compliance with the Paris Principles and a call to higher responsibility, therefore the commission must act as such.
She stated that the Executive Secretary does not want a media department that merely covers events, but a department that defends human rights through communication, adding that every press release and social media post is a statement of the commission’s independence, impartiality and credibility.
According to her, an A-Status NHRI must speak with authority and not propaganda, and NHRC communication must be factual, timely and rights-based, offering hope to the vulnerable and guidance to duty-bearers.
At the end of the training, participants pledged to translate the skills acquired into better content, stronger advocacy, more effective public engagement and greater impact in the promotion and protection of human rights in Nigeria, in line with global best practices.
NHRC to advance human rights communication with global best practice