Nigerian Human Rights Commission honors CLEEN Foundation for addressing human rights abuses
The National Human Rights Commission has awarded the CLEEN Foundation, the Human Rights Award 2019 for its immense contributions in strengthening law enforcement agencies for the protection of human rights in Nigeria.
Receiving the award on Sunday 8 December 2019 at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Abuja, Foundation CEO Dr. Benson Olugbuo dedicated the award to all victims and survivors of human rights abuses in Nigeria from 1960 to 2019.
CLEEN is a non-governmental organization established in January 1998 with the mission of promoting public safety, security, and accessible justice through empirical research, legislative advocacy, demonstration programs, and publications, in partnership with government, the civil society and the private sector.
It arose in response to the military dictatorship characterized by social violations and impunity by government security officials and the need to improve service delivery to the citizens of Nigeria, Africa and the world.
In 21 years, the foundation has contributed to improving the understanding and elimination of discriminatory attitudes and practices and has improved access to justice and ably supported the establishment of the Complaints Response Unit and Gender Office (CRU) of the Force of Nigerian Police, in partnership with the National Human Rights Commission Foundation and Network on Police Reforms in Nigeria (NOPRIN) to organize
CLEEN has contributed to promote, protect, defend, monitor and denounce social vices and has fostered military civil relations in Nigeria, as it is collaborating with the Nigerian Army in its objectives.
As part of its efforts to improve security sector accountability and human rights compliance in countering violent extremism in Nigeria, it has been working with various state and non-state actors to improve coordination, collaboration and inter-institutional cooperation between state and non-state actors in the Northeast.
It is the first Africa-based nonprofit to win the MacArthur Foundation Award for Creative and Effective Institutions in 2006.
Other prizes include:
Award for the Best Electronic Government Project 2016 (National Agency for Information Technology Development-Nihilent e-Governance), Award for the Defender of Peace and Social Justice 2016, Award for the Best NGO in ICT Implementation 2016 (National Agency of Development of Information Technologies-Nihilent e-Governance) and the Association and Defense of Human Rights Award of the University of Lagos 2019.
The CLEEN Foundation has observer status at the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights in Banjul, The Gambia.
The NGO is based in Abuja and is spread all over the country including Lagos, Owerri and Benin City.
It is also found in countries in Africa and the rest of the world.