NATIONAL REPORT 2016 Implementation targets Given the financial and geographical challenges faced by NGOs offering rehabilitation services to victims of torture, there is need for the institutionalisation of such services by the Nigerian government. In March 2011, the President assented to the National Human Rights Commission’s (NHRC) Amendment Act, which not only strengthens the power of the NHRC, but also gives it financial autonomy and the power to monitor, investigate human right violations, assist victims in getting the necessary care through the public health system and help them seek appropriate redress and remedies. However, despite this provision and as result of inadequate resources, the NHRC has so far been able to offer only legal redress to victims of torture. As an institution with a national reach, there is need for further advocacy for adequate budgetary allocation to facilitate the implementation of the NHRC’s mandate, especially with respect to the right to rehabilitation. This will ensure that efforts already made by NGOs may be complemented and made more accessible nationally by the NHRC’s intervention. Furthermore, on the national level, efforts to strengthen the provision of torture rehabilitation need to include advocacy on issues relating to budgetary allocation as well as the inclusion of mental healthcare in the Nigeria primary healthcare system. The current law in force in Nigeria - The Lunacy Act - still treats mental healthcare as separate from the primary healthcare system. This fuels the stigma attached to mental healthcare and limits the accessibility of psychological care by victims of such crimes in Nigeria. Presently, 70 percent of African countries (including Nigeria) earmark less than 1 percent of their national health budget to mental health services and anything relating to mental health care, including counselling and psychological rehabilitation in several countries, still suffer from a high level of social stigma. Given the challenge of resource inadequacy, most of the funds provided for mental health institutions are used only in the hospitals and for the treatment of persons with severe mental disorders. There is a need for services relevant to the various forms of rehabilitation necessary for torture victims to be easily accessible. When the state fails to ensure this, victims of such crimes are left to suffer in silence without any form of recourse. page 8 Presently, 70 percent of African countries (including Nigeria) earmark less than 1 percent of their national health budget to mental health services and anything relating to mental health care, including counselling and psychological rehabilitation in several countries, still suffer from a high level of social stigma.