The International Centre for Sexual Reproductive Rights (INCRESE)

Gentle Press men and women, Development partners, INCRESE beneficiaries, volunteers and colleagues,

My name is Cesnabmihilo Dorothy Nuhu-Aken’Ova.

I am the founder and the Executive Director of the International Centre for Sexual Reproductive Rights (INCRESE).

INCRESE was founded in 2000 to operationalize the ICPD Programme of Action and the Beijing Platform for Action provisions of Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights, supported by the Cenvention of the Elimination of All forms of Violence Agaginst Women.

INCRESE’s priority role and expertese was to contribute to the broad definition of the provisions and the concept of Sexual Reproductive rights and demonstrate its operationalisation at a small scale to enable governments and International NGOs adopt and scale up interventions to will reach the community level, and address the daily SRHR needs of especially the most marginalised and disadvanged, also bringing to fore issues and groups that were hitherto invisible.

INCRESE is one of the few organisations that initiated dialogue on rape of the male child, human rights of people living with HIV/AIDS, the sexuality of persons with disabilities, sexual pleasure in women, the invisibilisation of adolescents and youths in health initiative and marginalisation from decision making. We also contributed to the early campaign of awareness creation on saving lives through early detection of cancers.

Today we celebrate the Lagos criminal law and the “Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act” (VAPP Act) in 2015 that recognise and severely punish rape committed against boys and men.

Remember, the VAPP Act also criminalises Female Genital Mutilation.

Today we celebrate the “National HIV/AIDS Policy” (NHP) and the mirriads of interventions that have stalled the spread of HIV.

Today we celebrate the “National Policy on Adolescent Health and Development” (NPAHD) and the “Family Life and HIV Education (FLHE) Curriculum”.

Today, we celebrate the “National Policy on Disability” which was enacted in 2017

Today we celebrate the “Not Too Young To Run Act, 2018 (Act No. 3)”

We played an active role in the realisation of the “Freedom of Information Act, 2011 (Act No. 4)”.

We have participated in designing, implementing and evaluating many Federal Governmant Projects implemented in collaboration with UNICEF, EU, UNFPA, UNSIDS, Global Fund, WHO, Packard Foundation, etc. Projects ranging from water and sanitation, through Psycho-social Services to IDPs, family planning services, to life competency skills building in young people and mentorship projects for meaningful political participation by youths and other disadvantaged and marginalised groups, too many to list.

We have done these both within and outside Nigeria and have received international recognition. The most recent being listed among the top three best projects in the world for working to keep girls in school.

Today, we reiterate our commitment to serve our beneficiaries respecting the ethics of our profession and guided by our constitution and regional and international legal instruments to which Nigeria is a Nigeria.

We have always partnered with the Ministries of Health, Education, and Women Affairs, the Nigeria Police Force, The Human Rights Commission, The Child Rights Commission, Parent-Teacher Associations, Association of Nigerian Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools, Tradional and Religious Leaders, and credible community based associations. We have enjoyed partnership with the Media.

We are here today to remind Nigerians of who we are and what we do because we do not want to be misinterpreted, misunderstood, mis-represented or misjudged.

This is INCRESE. We know no other!

Thank you.