support the women of the niger delta

Case NGA181102.VAW/ESCR

Violence against Women/Violations of Economic, Social and Cultural
Rights
Torture and ill treatment

The International Secretariat of OMCT has received information on the
following situation in Nigeria.

Brief description of the Situation

The International Secretariat of the World Organisation Against
Torture (OMCT) is deeply concerned by the events described in a
petition filed on 5 November 2002 on behalf of women in the Niger
Delta region who protested against Shell Petroleum Development
Company ("SPDC") and Chevron/Texaco Nigeria Limited.

According to information received from reliable sources, on 8 August
2002, women from the region, mainly Itsekiri, Ijaw and Ilaje women,
peacefully protested against these two oil companies claiming
environmental degradation as well as substandard employment and
contractual policies. As a response to the protest, SPDC management
called on Army and Navy forces to disperse the protest. The Army and
Navy police reportedly intervened using tear gas and allegedly went
on to beat and rape some of the women. The information received
further notes that several pregnant women had miscarriages as a
result of the beatings and that one woman's breast was chopped off.

Many of the women were subsequently hospitalized. In the meantime,
they received no recognition from the SPDC or the government for the
injuries they suffered at the hands of the police. Mr. C.D.S. Oman
Irabor, Chairman and National Coordinator of Human Rights Defender
Organisation of Nigeria, filed a petition on 5 November 2002 on
behalf of the injured women, requesting reparations for their
hospital expenses and demanding greater accountability from
multinational oil companies in Nigeria through the establishment of a
mechanism whereby complaints about the conduct of these companies can
be voiced in a peaceful manner without fear of violent response.

OMCT is deeply troubled by the violence committed by government
forces against the women protestors and would like to recall that
Nigeria is a party to several international human rights instruments
that specifically prohibit violence against women including; the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention
against Torture and the Convention for the Elimination of All Forms
of Discrimination Against Women.

OMCT is particularly concerned by the conduct of multinational
corporations operating in Nigeria, immediately resorting to violent
responses to peaceful protests. The relationship between the
Nigerian government and multinational oil companies operating there
is one of long standing complicity, with government forces often
responding to labor and environmental protests on behalf of the oil
companies. These military responses frequently result in violence,
for which both the government and the oil companies must assume
responsibility.

Action requested

Please write to the Nigerian authorities urging them to:

i. guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of the women
involved in the protest on 8 August 2002;
ii. conduct an independent inquiry into the events surrounding the
protest and apply the appropriate criminal, civil or administrative
sanctions to any persons found to have engaged in acts of torture or
ill-treatment;

iii. ensure that the injured women receive adequate reparations for
the injuries they have suffered;

iv. establish an appropriate body to monitor the action of
multinational oil companies operating in Nigeria and ensure that
these companies respect the rule of law and the right of the people
in the region to protest their activities;

v. guarantee women their human rights, including their right to be
free from discrimination and their right to be free from torture and
inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment;

vi. ensure in all circumstances the full respect for human rights and
fundamental freedoms in accordance with national and international
standards.

Please write to Shell, urging it to:

i. take all necessary measures to ensure that it abides by Principle
1 of the UN Global Compact to which it is a party and according to
which Shell shall support and respect the protection of
internationally proclaimed human rights within its sphere of
influence;

ii. take all necessary measures to ensure that it abides by Principle
2 of the UN Global Compact according to which Shell shall make sure
that it is not complicit in human rights abuses;

Please write to Chevron/Texaco, urging it to:

i. take all necessary measures to ensure that its activities do not
lead to violations of human rights, as guaranteed by international
human rights instruments;

ii. take all necessary measures to ensure that it is not complicit in
human rights abuses

Addresses:

His Exellency Olusegun Obasanjo, President of the Republic, The
Presidency, Federal Secretariat
Phase II, Shehu Shagari Way,Abuja; Fax: 234 9 523 21 36 (press
office), Email: [email protected]

Alhaji Sule Lamido, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maputo Street , Zone
3 Wuse District, Abuja, Nigeria ; Fax: 234 9 523 02 08.

Kanu Godwin Agabi, Minister of Justice, Ministry of Justice, New
Federal Secretariat complex
Shehu Shagari Way, Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria; Fax:
234 9 523 52 08.

Chevron/Texaco Corporation, 575 Market Street, San Francisco, CA
94105, USA

The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria, Exploration &
Production, Private Mailbag 2418, Lagos, Nigeria; Fax: +234 1 2636864

Abdulkadir Kure (PDP), State Governor, State House, 35000 Minna,
Niger State, Nigeria.

The Embassy of Nigeria in your respective countries.

Geneva, 18 November 2002

Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this
appeal in your reply.

Organisation Mondiale Contre la Torture (OMCT)
World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)
Organización Mundial Contra la Tortura (OMCT)
8 rue du Vieux-Billard
Case postale 21
CH-1211 Geneve 8
Suisse/Switzerland
Tel. : 0041 22 809 49 39
Fax : 0041 22 809 49 29
E-mail : [email protected]
http://www.omct.org