ABOUT US

DNF is a survivor-run, feminist, not-for-profit organization that provides direct, real-time support services to victims of SGBV. We are a survivor-centered organization that provides free & confidential services to prevent SGBV and respond to victims. We work to achieve The Sustainable Development Goals. Our three-pronged approach includes

Provision of holistic SGBV Response services online and offline Through counseling, providing crisis or transitional shelter to survivors, supporting survivors to access medical care, navigate law enforcement engagement, access legal services, participating in ADR processes, psychosocial support and empowerment.
Research and Media Advocacy for Grassroots Reorientation
Improving the well-being and welfare of SGBV Responders.

DNF focuses on creating a safer and better society free from violence against women, girls, and other vulnerable groups.

The “Dorothy Njemanze & three others vs the Federal Republic of Nigeria” lawsuit sparked the #AbujaRaids protest. The Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB), in collaboration with other law enforcement entities, systematically and unlawfully detained numerous women and girls during nighttime hours, arbitrarily labeling them as sex workers. Women found outside their residences at night were subjected to physical assault, violent threats, potential gunfire if resistant, verbal abuse, and abduction by these government agencies.

Many detainees in holding facilities faced threats of beating, harassment, and sexual violence, including rape. The court’s decision marked the first ruling invoking the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on Women’s Rights in Africa (Maputo Protocol). The verdict found the Nigerian government in violation of human rights.

Since its establishment in 2011, the Dorothy Njemanze Foundation (DNF) has been a vocal advocate for various causes, working to advance the rights and welfare of women, girls, youth, and individuals with disabilities.

DOROTHY NEJEMANZE FOUNDATION'S HISTORY

The Dorothy Njemanze Foundation (DNF) was founded in 2011 and registered on July 23, 2012. It was born out of the desire of a mistreated woman determined to fight against the brazen violence perpetrated against women by state and non-state actors in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja. DNF’s advocacy work mainly targets combating state-funded and normative violence against women and girls in Abuja. This has yielded a landmark judgment at ECOWAS Court of Justice.