Chidinma Iroegbu
Dr Uju Agomoh has pledged to improve support for torture survivors and strengthen efforts to prevent torture worldwide following her election as President of the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT).
Agomoh, President of Prisoners Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA) and Chair of the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Public Interest and Development Law (NBA-SPIDEL), won 69 per cent of the votes to lead the organisation for the 2026-2029 term.
Her election is a significant achievement for Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa, placing a Nigerian human rights advocate at the head of a global network focused on the rehabilitation of torture survivors and the prevention of torture.
Reacting to her election, Agomoh described the result as “a vote for Sub-Saharan Africa,” saying it also recognised the region’s contribution to the international human rights and rehabilitation movement.
The new IRCT leadership reflects representation from several parts of the world, with the Vice President from Australia and members of the Executive Committee from Germany, the Philippines, Guatemala, the United States and Palestine.
The IRCT has 176 member centres in 80 countries and represents about 4,000 professionals working in medical, psychological, legal and social rehabilitation for victims of torture.
The network’s member centres provide assistance to nearly 72,000 survivors each year, making the IRCT an important international network in the fight against torture and its effects on survivors.
Agomoh, a clinical psychologist, lawyer, criminologist and human rights advocate, has spent decades working on rehabilitation, torture prevention and criminal justice reform.
She founded PRAWA in 1994, and the organisation said its programmes have since supported more than 108,000 people and trained over 50,000 professionals.
In her new role, Agomoh will work to strengthen IRCT member centres, increase opportunities for partnerships and funding, give survivors a greater voice, promote transparent governance and advance efforts to prevent torture and provide rehabilitation worldwide.