16-Day Activism: DOHS Foundation races to end femicide

A non-governmental organisation (NGO), DOHS Cares Foundation, says it is embarking on a mini-marathon to sensitise the public on the dangers of femicide.

Its Founder, Mrs Ololade Ajayi, said this in a statement that, according to UN Women, Femicide is an intentional killing with a gender-related motivation. It is different from homicide, where the motivation may not be gender-related.

Ajayi said the race, which would hold on Nov. 30, is one of the organisation’s activities to commemorate the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (GBV).

She said apart from creating awareness of the prevalence of femicide in Nigeria, the race would help to honour the memory of the victims while also clamouring for justice for them.

According to her, femicide is the highest manifestation of GBV, and the risk factors include previous threats to kill with a weapon and sexual violence, among others.

“It is an intentional killing of women and girls by men who are their intimate partners, relatives or acquaintances.

“Motivated by hatred, contempt or a sense of ownership, pleasure and gender expectations, femicide is often characterised by a history of intimate partners or family violence.

“It is deeply rooted in misogyny, a form of discrimination against women and girls,” she said.

Ajayi said there had been a total of 108 verified cases of gender-related killings of women in Nigeria in the first 10 months of the year.

She said the foundation would continue to focus on understanding the impacts of state response to gender-related killings of women and girls by creating avenues to foster advocacy.

 The NGO, in April, submitted a draft bill on femicide to the Lagos State House of Assembly and National Assembly to pass legislation to prevent violent deaths against women and girls.