Experts ask judges to act against maternal mortality

Experts have enjoined judges to play active roles in addressing maternal and child mortality in the country.

They made the call at the weekend during the national roundtable for judges on rights-based perspectives in maternal health adjudications, organised by Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC) in Abuja.

Executive Director of the centre, Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi urged judges to strengthen partnership with other key public health stakeholders to develop Public Interest Litigations (PIL) to address right to survive pregnancy as a fundamental right. She said there was need to work with lawyers and judges to develop jurisprudence on reproductive rights and also provide legal aid/ advice to women.

Quoting the World Health Organisation (WHO) she said, the high incidence of maternal mortality in Nigeria has medical, political, social, cultural, economic and human rights implications, adding that majority of these maternal deaths, like the rest of the world, were preventable.

Akiyode said litigation could be used to ensure accountability by getting the judiciary to pronounce on an alleged rights violation, building on case law, informing communities about these decisions and their rights, as well as holding government accountable at local, state and central level.