By Aderoju and Ololade Ajayi
In commemoration of International Women’s Day, DOHS Cares Foundation executed a program tagged “#ChampionHer Initiative” on the 8th of March 2025 in Egbeda Lagos, to sensitise women both young and old about gender-based violence and Femicide, and conduct free medical outreach for Women in rural communities.
The “Champion Her Initiative” is an annual programme which kicked off three years ago and organised every International Women’s Day to sensitise women both young and old about gender-based violence.
The outreach offered various medical tests including blood pressure level, sugar level, cervical and breast Cancer screening. . The event is the 3rd edition of the DOHS Cares Foundation annual International Women’s Day Program. #ChampionHer.
This year, the Femicide Research Hub of the Organization consisting of feminist and Allies also conducted physical research on women in rural communities with a survey and a sensitization program to localize Femicide awareness.
We sensitized women in Egbeda Community about the Red Flags of Femicide, and the critical role of early intervention and prevention strategies, with our #NoDeyKpaiWoman Campaign.
Another key highlight of the event was the Free breast and cervical cancer screening as well as basic medical check up by the Medical Personnel.
Participants at the event also filled a survey detailing their knowledge on the subject of Gender Based Violence/Femicide. Many participants admitted that they had never heard about the word Femicide before, but they actually knew about victims of intimate partner violence who has lost their lives at their hands of partners and other cases of Femicide.
The survey result are being collated for policy recommendation purposes.
The outreach offered various medical tests including blood pressure level, sugar level, cervical and breast screening.
Ololade Ajayi, DOHS Cares’ founder, sensitised the beneficiaries about gender-based violence with an emphasis on femicide., highlighting the red flags to watch out for, “When domestic violence occurs and there is strangulation even if it is non-fatal, that woman might be a potential victim of femicide,”. she said.
“When there is the presence of a weapon during domestic violence, whether knife, machete, or gun, the woman may likely be a victim of femicide eventually.”
Meanwhile, Oluwatosin Sanda, a woman with disability told PREMIUM TIMES that it is her first time learning and participating in such a programme.
“I have done my BP, then blood sugar test, they checked my pulse also. I am waiting for my turn for the breast and cervical screening test,” she said.
“I’m happy and hope they can continue.”
Also, Motunrayo Adamolekun, described the program as impactful, adding that it has created a lot of awareness and also enlightened many people who have not heard of femicide.
“I have done the breast and cervical screening,” she said.
“I have been having a hormonal imbalance for a while and now realise that I need to see a gynaecologist and commence treatment as soon as possible.”
Another beneficiary, Anuoluwapo Aboderin, noted that the programme is “fantastic. And I will support the initiative. It is a welcomed one.”
However, she said the cervical screening was “a little uncomfortable but not as painful as childbirth.”
Femicide
All the participants filled out a survey to know their knowledge about femicide.
The non-governmental organisation has earlier launched the #NoDeyKpaiWoman campaign to create awareness and take action against rising incidences of femicide.
With the hashtag, the group seeks to address the issue of femicide and calls for an end to it.
The hashtag, written in Pidgin English, a widely spoken language in Nigeria, roughly translates to ‘stop killing woman.’
Femicide is the killing of women or girls particularly by men on account of their gender. It is the most brutal and extreme manifestation of violence against women and girls, according to UN Women.
According to the group, at least 32 women have been reported killed in January and February 2025,, while a total number of 149 deaths were recorded in 2024 on the DOHS Femicide Observatory Dashboard.
