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Femicide, the act of killing women and girls, is in on the increase in Nigeria. The practice, according to Ololade Ajayi, the founder of DOHS Cares Foundation, a non-organization that is dedicated to ending femicide and other forms of violence against women, needs to be eliminated.
According to her, the foundation will begin a series of events on the 30th of November 2024 to commemorate the 2024 #16daysofactivism to eliminate violence against women and girls.
Ajayi disclosed that the event will begin with a five-kilometre run in Lagos around the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, to create awareness on femicide in Nigeria, adding that the objective of the 2024 16-day event is unite and act to end violence against women and girls.
She described femicide as “the highest manifestation of gender-based violence: an intentional killing of women and girls by men who are their intimate partners, relatives or acquaintances”.
The DOHS Cares Foundation, through its femicide observatory found out that there were a total of 108 verified cases of gender related killings of women in Nigeria in the first 10 months of 2024.
She posited that the United Nations Special procedures call for strengthened accountability to bring perpetrators to justice as femicide remains a prevalent issue across public and private spaces in Nigeria.
The founder of DOHS Cares Foundation stated that the foundation is “focusing on understanding the impacts of state response to gender related killings of women and girls in Nigeria and creating awareness about femicide through various avenues, including fostering young human rights defenders on data activism, leveraging on sports as a tool for advocacy, training young feminists who can further sustain the fight on violence against women and inform public policy which seeks to reduce and prevent violence.”
DOHS Cares Foundation had earlier in April 2024, submitted a draft bill to the Lagos State House of Assembly and National Assembly and engaged in demonstration marches to create awareness about femicide in Nigeria.
Ajayi argued that femicide is motivated by hatred, contempt or a sense of ownership, pleasure, and gender expectations, adding that it is often characterized by a history of intimate partner or family violence.
It is deep rooted in misogyny, a form of discrimination against women and girls and risk factors include previous threats to kill with a weapon and sexual violence, among others.
Ololade Ajayi, the founder of the DOHS Cares Foundation, said that the race is being organized to sensitize the public and create awareness on the rising cases of femicide in Nigeria and honour the memory of the victims of femicide while clamoring for justice for victims.
In an interview with Daily Independent, Ajayi said that the incidence of femicide is on the increase in Nigeria, adding that the victims are dying violently through rape, strangulation, and others.
She called on the government at different levels to enact laws that criminalizes and punishes perpetrators of femicide in the country.
Ikechi Nzeako is a journalist with Independent Newspapers Limited. He is a graduate of the University of Ibadan and he is interested in politics, history, economy and sports. He writes on small business, entrepreneurship, training, employment, start-ups, and general business.
