By Ajayi Ololade
Seventeen years after the United Nations General Assembly declared February 20 as World Day of Social Justice, concerns remain over the state of justice for victims of femicide in Nigeria, with advocates saying many families are still waiting for accountability and support.
Securitynewsalert.com reports that a statement by the DOHS Cares Foundation mentioned that while Nigeria continues to mark the global observance, the reality for victims of gender-based killings and their families shows that social justice remains largely symbolic.
According to the foundation, femicide, the intentional killing of women because of their gender, represents the most extreme form of gender-based violence, driven by misogyny, control, and societal attitudes that often normalise violence against women.
The group noted that despite increasing global attention to the issue, Nigerian women continue to be killed at worrying rates, while protection systems remain weak and slow.
“In 2024, DOHS Cares Foundation tracked 136 reported femicide cases, resulting in 150 deaths. In 2025, the numbers worsened to 172 reported cases and 197 deaths,” the organisation said, adding that the figures likely represent only a fraction of the actual national toll.
It said the consequences extend beyond the deaths, leaving children orphaned, families destabilised, and communities deeply affected.
“Every woman killed leaves behind living victims,” the statement said, noting that many victims were primary caregivers whose deaths push already vulnerable families deeper into poverty and instability.
The organisation added that children who witness or experience the aftermath of such violence often suffer long-term trauma, including anxiety, sleep disorders, aggression, post-traumatic stress, dissociation, and declining academic performance.
However, the group lamented that Nigeria currently lacks a structured and holistic system to support these survivors.
“After the headlines fade, grieving families are left to shoulder the burden alone,” the statement said. “There is no coordinated national framework tracking where orphaned children are placed, monitoring their safety, or ensuring access to trauma care.”
It also raised concerns about delays in the justice system, stating that trials are often slow, prosecutions stall, and accountability remains inconsistent, leaving many families without closure.
Marking this year’s World Day of Social Justice, the organisation called for what it described as holistic justice in femicide cases, one that goes beyond sentencing perpetrators.
Among the measures it proposed are expedited trials and dedicated prosecution pathways for femicide cases, a national tracking and safeguarding system for children orphaned by femicide, integrated trauma and economic support for survivors, and sustained funding for frontline organisations.
To address these gaps, DOHS Cares said it has proposed a draft Femicide Bill aimed at prioritising comprehensive support for living victims.
The organisation also disclosed plans to establish “Healing Haven for Living Victims of Femicide,” a trauma-informed recovery centre designed to provide counselling, temporary safe accommodation, healing programmes, economic empowerment, and long-term psychosocial care for women and children affected by gender-based violence.
Founder of the organisation, Ajayi Ololade, stressed the need for systemic reforms to tackle the problem.
“Social justice cannot be selective,” Ololade said. “When a woman is killed, the violence does not end with her death; it multiplies in the lives of her children. Until Nigeria builds a system that protects the living victims, accelerates prosecution, and guarantees holistic recovery, we cannot claim to be advancing justice. We are not asking for sympathy. We are demanding structural change.”
The foundation urged authorities and stakeholders to move beyond symbolic observances and take concrete action to address femicide and protect affected families.
“As Nigeria observes the 17th World Day of Social Justice, we must confront a difficult truth: social justice cannot exist where women are killed with impunity, and children are left without protection or structured care,” the statement added. “The time for symbolic observance has passed. The time for systemic action is now.”
