One woman is killed every 10 minutes. Not by road accidents or childbirth. But by an intimate partner or family member. This phenomenon, known as femicide, has gained more recognition in recent years due to an acknowledgement of its escalation.
It is such a new point of interest that only in 2022 did UN Women in collaboration with UNODC create a statistical framework for measuring it. According to the latest data from UN Women, Africa is home to the highest rate of femicide. In 2023, there were 2.9 victims per 100,000 on the continent, in comparison to 1.6 and 1.5 per 100,000 in the Americas and Oceania, respectively, and 0.8 and 0.6 per 100,000 in Asia and Europe, respectively.
In Nigeria, there have been 22 cases of femicide in 2025 already. Nearly 28,000 cases of gender-based violence (GBV) were recorded between 2020 and 2023.
UN Women states that the primary prevention method for GBV, including femicide, is by “changing societal norms and attitudes [...] by fostering a broader understanding of acceptable behaviors and roles associated with women and men in society.”
A crop of Nigerian women are contributing to this effort, leveraging the popularity of TikTok in Africa to address the misogyny embedded across the continent, examining in particular the role of women in marriage and society.
Journalists can borrow a leaf from these creators on how to engage the primarily Gen Z audiences on TikTok when reporting on these topics.
@olaspeakslife
When Ola Davies found herself in an abusive marriage, she battled the desire to please God at all costs by maintaining her vows, even if it meant consenting to her own abuse. She chose her safety and left.
Today, she helps women on TikTok, especially Christian women, see that a loving God would not want them to be subjugated to abuse or other atrocities they may face. Using humor, she stitches clips of Nigerian pastors’ sermons that they post on TikTok to point out the hypocrisies and anti-women subtext in them.
“I wanted to become a voice for the voiceless and help raise awareness on emotional, psychological and spiritual abuse of women,” she said.
Davies first noticed that girls and women in Nigeria were not as valued as boys and men when she was a little girl. Even highly educated and accomplished women, she realized as she grew up, would back off when it came to religious oppression of women.
Davies said that she gets messages from women thanking her for giving them the courage to leave their abusive marriages. “I have a few pastors who follow my content online and encourage me; they tell me I'm doing a good job.”
@daughterofnaomi
Everything woman with Timmy, as she is known to her 25,000 followers on TikTok, tackles misconceptions about gender roles within marriage. By stitching Nigerian podcasters, pastors and celebrities’ videos in which they comment on relationships and marriage, she debunks common misogynistic rhetoric that undermines women’s bodily autonomy.
For example, in most African cultures there exists the tradition of dowry, or bride price, paid by the groom’s family to the family of the bride. This can lead to a sense of ownership within men, raising the likelihood of domestic violence.
“As a woman, you do not have to belong to anybody — whether your husband’s family or your father’s family,” Timmy states in one of her videos.
Despite internet trolls pushing back on her views, women flood her comments with support and gratitude for changing their mindsets. “I’m so glad I found your page. You are a blessing to the women of this generation,” one commenter posted.
@onyinyechi_blossom
Onyinyechi Agatha Ezeanowi caught on early in life that she was not treated fairly at home; growing up as the only girl in a patriarchal household, she was burdened with lots of housework.
Upon entering adulthood — attending university and interacting with the larger Nigerian society — she realized that gender inequality was rampant. Be it in politics, education or the entertainment industry, women are considered subordinate to their male counterparts.
This inspired her to start creating content around feminism, women’s empowerment and social issues. “I don’t want to be a man, I just want to be treated fairly,” she said. Ezeanowi’s hope is that her content teaches women to value and stand up for themselves.
With a following of more than 116,000 at the time of writing, she reaches audiences from around the continent, renouncing cultures that suppress women’s rights.
@obidiojochide
As a child, Obidi Ojochide witnessed her mother, an educated widow who served as a leader in their church’s women’s ministry, offer a safe haven for women escaping abusive marriages. “I remember sitting at the dining table, listening to them weep as they recounted their suffering. Though I was just a child, I wanted to tell them to leave [their husbands]. But I couldn’t.”
The experience is what drives Obidi’s advocacy today. Now, she uses her TikTok account to empower women and educate them about patriarchy and misogyny, using relatable African scenes, languages, and gestures that resonate.
Unlike Western feminism, which often focuses on individual rights, she said African feminism must challenge family expectations, religious doctrines, and societal norms that keep women subjugated.
“Women are not just expected to obey; they are conditioned to believe that submission is their purpose, making the fight for autonomy even more complex,” Obidi added.
@unbreakableruth01
Ruth Oluwadare is a mental health and abuse recovery coach who uses her TikTok account to help women escape toxic relationships. Her content is geared toward Christian women and girls, as she demystifies anti-women rhetoric from the church.
“I don’t subscribe to women in their early 20s getting married. Many times they usually regret it,” she says in one of her videos.
Oluwadare has built a community of 27,000 in front of whom she advocates for women to make their own money in order to have the freedom to make the best decisions for themselves in case of abuse.
Photo by cottonbro studio via pexels.
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