Fame Foundation, a gender biased Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), has called for an end to all forms of femicide in Nigeria.
Femicide is the act of killing a woman by a domestic partner or a member of a criminal enterprise.
The Executive Director of the Foundation, Aderonke Atoyebi, at a news conference in Abuja, stressed the need for government and all stakeholders to collectively fight it in Nigeria.
She decried the fact that femicide is often concealed in Nigeria due to societal stigma, fear of retaliation, while emphasising the need to change the narrative.
Atoyebi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the foundation was working round the clock to raise awareness about the problem and also advocating for stronger legal protections for women and girls.
‘The girl child, young women, young female adults are endangered in Nigeria.
‘Femicide has become a pandemic and a state of emergency needs to be declared on this often-overlooked issue. Victim blaming must end,’ she said.
Atoyebi said that
over 89,000 women were killed globally in 2020 and at least 401 deaths recorded from sexual and gender based violence (SGBV) in 2022.
‘The situation of femicide is now critical, as the Federal government has recorded 27,698 SGBV cases in the last three years in Nigeria.
‘At least five female murder cases recorded from different states this year were highlighted, some of the cases got justice while some didn’t get till date,’ she said.
Atoyebi, therefore, stressed the need to strengthen existing laws that address SGBV and ensure its enforcement, while stressing the need for perpetrators of femicide to be adequately punished to deter future crimes.
Source: News Agency of Nigeria