“46 Women and Girls have been Murdered by their Husband/Ex-Husband, Relative or acquaintances in the first half of 2024”.
This disclosure was made at the Live Femicide Dashboard unveiling by the DOHS Cares Foundation on the 15th of August 2024.
The Organization has been combating and re-framing Femicide in Nigeria from a private matter to a public issue.
Femicide is the highest manifestation of gender based violence is an intentional killing of women and girls, usually by men who are their intimate partner (lover, husband, sex worker solicitor, ex husband) or relatives (uncle, cousin, son, father, grandson, brother ) primarily because of their gender. It is often characterized by domestic violence and sexual abuse.
It is rooted in power structure that discriminates against women, motivated by the offenders’ perception of superiority.
The United Nations special rapporteur on violence against women, led by Dr Duvbraka Simonovic in 2015, called on member states to establish a national Femicide Watch/Observatory, to describe and respond to emerging Femicide cases, gather Data , and produce new knowledge that can be used in prevention of femicide.
In many counties however, Femicide watches are formed by Feminist groups and Activists such as our Organization which are already tracking and analyzing Data, and raising awareness about the growing issue of Femicide in Nigeria, we are dedicated to bringing attention to this violence that is claiming the lives of too many women and girls.
DOHS Cares Foundation have been documenting Femicide cases and patterns in Nigeria since 2023 and have identified gaps in the intervention system on Violence against Women and Girls, collated dis-aggregated data on gender related killings of women and girls to formulate policies that can be catalysts for prevention and and change. This informed the submission of a draft Bill on Femicide to both the Lagos state House of Assembly and the National Assembly in April 2024.
In a speech read by the Founder of the DOHS Cares Foundation, Ololade Ajayi during the unveiling, she condemned the needless deaths of the Women and Girls lost to Femicide, saying, “The Murder of 46 deaths of Women and Girls in 6 months by their intimate partners or relatives should be regarded as War, War against Women and Girls, against their Right to life and safety. We should be angry and deeply disturbed at this silent epidemic claiming lives of Nigeria Women”. She also disclosed that the Organization is resolute in tackling Femicide in Nigeria and will deploy the following steps:
- 1. Media Campaigns: DOHS will be advocating for responsible and accurate media coverage of Femicide Cases as Femicide is grossly unreported in Nigeria: “when the media calls the intentional of women and girls Femicide, the populace are bound to follow suit to properly identify Femicide”.
- 2. Data Activism: Unless there is comparable data collection on a given crime, there will be no proper understanding of it and no effective strategy with which to combat it. Because Data is not neutral or objective, DOHS will continue to use technology and data to conduct accurate analysis. DOHS Live Femicide Dashboard is aimed at challenging power relations and drive social change by using Data on Femicide to ignite calls for action.
- 3. Criminalizing Femicide: When there is Legislation against Femicide and perpetrators are appropriately punished, there is a probability of the crime reducing. We will keep demanding for Justice for Femicide Victims, actualization of the DOHS Femicide Bill and advocating for policy changes on laws affecting violence against women and girls so as to hold perpetrators of Femicide accountable through legal systems that prioritize the rights and safety of survivors.
- 4. Continuous Awareness Campaign and Sensitization of Citizens: DOHS Cares Foundation organized a protest March against Femicide in April and plans to embark on another March on the 30th of August, as part of its efforts to build movements to amplify the fight against femicide.
- 5. Calls for Collaboration: DOHS calls for the support of Women Rights Organizations, Feminist Groups and individuals, International Bodies such as the United Nations Women and The Nigerian Government Authorities on Women Affairs to collaborate on the fight against Femicide by Utilizing the Data from DOHS Femicide Dashboard to galvanize action against Femicide.
On the DOHS Cares Foundation’s website, its Femicide Database displays Live statistics of Femicide cases on the Dashboard and Register with detailed information of Victims and perpetrators, it also contains a form where members of the public can report cases of Femicide as witnessed, which will then be verified and automatically updated on the Dashboard.
The dashboard unveiling and upcoming march against femicide are supported by DOHS Cares Foundation’s partners Het ActieFonds who also supported the previous march held in April 2024.