Human rights commission moves to end workplace bullying

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) is to partner with the Equality Development and Research Centre (EDR-Centre), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), to curb workplace bullying.

Mr. Tony Ojukwu, the NHRC Executive Secretary, made this known when Ms. Marshal Nwanne, the founder of the EDR-Centre, paid a visit to the commission in Abuja.

Ojukwu said that the commission is dedicated to combating workplace bullying and envisions targeting and ending all forms of inequality in Nigeria.

The executive secretary welcomed the partnership and expressed the hope that the two organisations would work together and achieve the desired result.

He said that there was no condition that justifies torture and described it as “one human rights violation” that has no justification.

“Indeed, bullying is not good, and we have been preaching and fighting against it alone. Thank God, today we have a partner in the EDR Centre that is ready to work squarely on this area.

”We are going to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with you, so that the work we are doing in this area would not only be in the Federal Capital but across the 36 states where the Commission has offices.

“Now that we are going to work together, I believe that very soon society will feel the impact,” he said.

He said that the first place to focus would be the family, schools, and other institutions, among others.

According to him, Nigerians have generally been bullied to the extent that they have seen it as normal.

“Unfortunately, a lot of people are depressed, and some have gone into mental torture because of one form of bullying or another,” he said.

Earlier, Nwanne, who appreciated the partnership with the commission, urged victims to speak up and not to keep silence.

She explained that it was worthwhile to stop the act of bullying, which she noted leads to depression, mental torture, and even death.

The founder wondered why acts of bullying go on in society without the culprits being brought to justice.

Nwanne called for legislation to make perpetrators account for their actions.