By Lolade Ajayi
On the 30th of November 2024, the DOHS Cares Foundation will commemorate the 2024 #16 days of activism to eliminate violence against women and girls, with a 5KM Run in Lagos around the National Stadium to create awareness of femicide in Nigeria.
The theme for the 2024 16 Days is To Unite To End Violence Against Women And Girls. Therefore in line with this, DOHS Cares Foundation is spotlighting femicide, 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 revealed, through its femicide observatory that 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.
The United Nations Special Procedures mandate holders called for strengthened accountability to bring perpetrators to justice as femicide remains a prevalent issue across public and private spaces.
DOHS Cares Foundation focuses 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 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.
Motivated by hatred, contempt or a sense of ownership, pleasure, and gender expectations, femicide is often characterized by a history of intimate partner or family violence.
It is deeply 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 done to sensitize the public create awareness of the rampant rate of femicide in Nigeria and honour the memory of the victims of femicide while clamouring for justice for victims.
