Youth For Rights: Meet Mariam from Nigeria

Meet Mariam Aliyu Oyiza, a young WHRD from #Nigeria working to support survivors of gender-based violence. She is one of the 40 young human rights defenders who took part in the 2023 Vienna Youth & Child HRD Conference, organised by the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders and the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Learn more about young human rights defenders on our website: srdefenders.org/young-hrds/
#YouthForRights
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CREDITS:
Footage: Office of the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders
Music: 'Clean ecology' by Evgeny Bardyuzha, via Pixabay
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TRANSCRIPT:
[Music]
[Video opens with a cutout photo of Mariam smiling, against a light blue background where the title appears: « 60 seconds with a young Human Rights Defender ». Mariam is wearing a white puffer jacket over a white shirt.]
Interviewer: Can you introduce yourself?
Mariam: My name is Mariam Aliyu Oyiza I'm 28 years old and I'm from Nigeria.
Interviewer: Why did you become a human rights defender?
Mariam: I became a human rights defender because I want to provide support for survivors of gender based violence because it makes me feel whole and the smile I put on people's faces after the success stories actually gives me a sense of satisfaction. It also makes me happy to know that I am actually supporting people who are in dire need of gender based violence support.
Interviewer: Is there anything you are particularly proud of in your work?
Mariam: Having supported over 800 women within the span of one year with case management of rape [cases] and ensuring that also access to justice was granted. The amount of people whom we've been able to support so far out of the 800 women which I think is around 200 with access to justice makes me so proud because years ago women hardly ever came out to report the cases of rape because of shame and discrimination. And also we also got four cases from men which is highly impressive because the society tells men that they are strong and they don't believe that men also do
get abused but yes they do. I was also so impressed that you know our work has gone that far into the community and people are responding tremendously.
[video fades to light blue and the hashtag #YouthForRights appears, along with the URL to the UN Special Rapporteur’s website featuring more content about young Human Rights Defenders. At the bottom of the page feature the credits for the video.]