Eighty-eight women were killed in Nigeria between January and June 2025, according to figures released by the DOHS Cares Foundation, a grim statistic that underscores the country’s deepening femicide crisis.
The foundation, which has been tracking gender-based killings through its Femicide Research Hub, said the deaths amount to one woman killed every 49 hours. It described the situation as a national emergency that requires urgent institutional and societal response.
“These are not just statistics. These were mothers, daughters, sisters, grandmothers, professionals, and students — women who had full lives and bright futures,” said Ololade Ajayi, founder of DOHS Cares Foundation. “Every week, three to four women are violently erased from our society. This is not a crisis we can afford to normalize or ignore.”
Despite Nigeria’s constitutional guarantees and existing laws such as the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, 2015, the foundation said impunity remains entrenched. Many cases are never fully investigated. Victims are often blamed, survivors are silenced, and perpetrators frequently escape justice.
Ajayi called on the National Assembly to take immediate steps to introduce and debate a proposed Femicide Bill drafted by the organization. She also urged government agencies to begin publicly tracking femicide as a distinct crime and to establish a national register to record and monitor cases.
She said law enforcement and the judiciary must ensure that investigations are swift and perpetrators are prosecuted without delay. Beyond legal reforms, Ajayi emphasized the need for cultural change and called on community and religious leaders to speak out against social norms that devalue women’s lives.
“We will not stay silent. We will mourn, but we will also mobilize, organize, and demand action,” she said. “Nigerian women deserve to live, to be safe, and to be heard.”
The foundation has launched a public campaign tagged #NoDeyKpaiWoman to mobilize support for femicide prevention, survivor protection, and legal reform.