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A Nigerian corrections officer, Olukemi Ibikunle, has been honoured with the 2025 United Nations Trailblazer Award for Women Justice and Corrections Officers for her outstanding contributions to situation betterment and rehabilitation successful the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Ibikunle, who serves arsenic the Corrections Unit Engineer with the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission successful the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), was celebrated for starring transformative infrastructure and rehabilitation projects that align situation conditions with planetary standards portion empowering nationalist institutions.
The grant ceremony, present successful its 3rd year, holds this Wednesday, astatine 10 a.m. (ET) astatine the UN Headquarters successful New York, and volition beryllium presented by the UN Deputy Secretary-General.
A connection from the UN House successful Abuja noted that the lawsuit would besides diagnostic remarks from high-level officials including Margaret Satterthwaite, United Nations Special Rapporteur connected the Independence of Judges and Lawyers; Amy Jarrette, Deputy Commissioner for Women of Correctional Service Canada; and representatives from assorted UN member-states.
Ibikunle, a passionate advocator for humane correctional systems, is renowned for her doctrine that “peace begins down situation walls.” She believes that dignity, safety, and rehabilitation wrong detention centres are captious to achieving semipermanent bid and societal stability.
“More than an award, this infinitesimal represents visibility and designation of the countless women and girls whose voices are often silenced and whose dreams are constrained by societal expectations,” Ibikunle said successful absorption to the announcement.
Since joining MONUSCO successful 2020, Ibikunle has spearheaded respective high-impact projects. Among them is the operation of an precocious information situation artifact successful Kabare, designed to location high-risk detainees, including members of equipped groups. She besides developed a exemplary situation blueprint for the DRC, a landmark effort aimed astatine standardising situation plan and improving detention conditions nationwide.
Her Biogas Initiative astatine Uvira Prison has besides earned planetary commendation. The sustainability-focused task converts discarded into cleanable energy, improving some hygiene and biology standards successful the facility. Beyond its biology benefits, it provides vocational grooming for inmates, offering them applicable skills to enactment rehabilitation and reintegration into society.
Established successful 2022 by the Justice and Corrections Service of the Office for the Rule of Law and Security Institutions nether the Department of Peace Operations, the Trailblazer Award recognises the exceptional enactment of women officers successful UN bid operations who situation sex stereotypes and systemic barriers wrong justness and corrections systems.
While women’s practice successful bid operations has grown successful caller years, the UN says challenges persist. Gender-based favoritism and stereotyping proceed to hinder women from attaining enactment roles, contempt the implementation of targeted initiatives nether the UN’s Uniformed Gender Parity Strategy.
Ibikunle’s recognition, the UN said, serves arsenic a reminder of what’s imaginable erstwhile women are empowered to pb change, adjacent successful the astir demanding environments.
English (US) ·