By Lolade Ajayi
In a landmark move to combat gender related killings of women and girls in Nigeria, the DOHS Cares for Vulnerable Women and Children Foundation and the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) on the 4th of July 2025, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen legislative efforts against Femicide.
The partnership aims to address the growing incidence of femicide (the intentional killing of women and girls with a gender related motive, usually by men who are their intimate partners, relatives or close acquaintances) by advancing a Legal framework that ensures prevention, justice, and accountability.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Professor Abubakar O. Sulaiman, the Director General of NILDS, reaffirmed the organisation’s dedication to promoting the rule of law and their readiness to ensure the prevention of violence against women and girls.
Also speaking at the event, Mrs Ololade Ajayi, the Founder of DOHS Cares, described the collaboration as “a historic step towards protection for Nigerian women whose lives are being taken with impunity.”
She emphasised that the current lack of legal provision on femicide leaves countless victims unprotected and perpetrators unpunished. DOHS had submitted a proposed Bill on Femicide before the National Assembly in April 2024.
Next Steps: Bill Scrutiny, Analysis, Stakeholder Engagement and Bill Presentation
As part of the MoU, DOHS Cares Foundation and NILDS will immediately commence Scrutiny and analysis of the previously developed draft Femicide Bill. The updated version will incorporate recommendations from experts, stakeholders, and comparative global models.
They will also convene a multi-stakeholder validation workshop, bringing together civil society organisations (CSOs), legal experts, gender justice advocates, and survivors’ groups to review and validate the draft bill.
After this process, both partners will engage Legislators towards the presentation of the Bill.
A National Commitment to Justice
DOHS Cares Foundation stands at the forefront of Nigeria’s movement to end femicide. Between January and June 2025 alone, the DOHS Femicide Research Hub revealed that at least 88 Nigerian Women and Girls were killed in incidents identified as femicide, amounting to 1 woman killed every 49 hours. Behind each of these statistics is a life cut short, a family devastated, and a justice system struggling to respond.
In the face of these staggering numbers, DOHS has made a bold and sustained national commitment to justice. The organisation has not only documented and published real-time femicide data but also moved beyond awareness to Institutional Advocacy and Legal Reform.
