Wednesday, October 15, 2025 - A newly released study has revealed that women on d3ath row in Nigeria face deep-rooted gender discrimination, with the majority suffering from poverty, limited education, and systemic injustice throughout the legal process.
The research, presented on Monday, October 13, 2025 at a
stakeholder validation meeting in Abuja, was conducted by Hope Behind Bars
Africa in collaboration with the National Human Rights Commission and supported
by the World Coalition Against the D3ath Penalty and the French Development
Agency.
According to the report, 47 per cent of female death row
inmates are between the ages of 18 and 35, while more than one-third had no
formal education, and only 10 per cent completed tertiary education.
Seventy per cent of the women surveyed are mothers, many of
whom left behind children in unstable or fragmented care arrangements,
deepening the inter-generational impact of incarceration.
The majority of the women previously worked in informal,
low-income sectors such as trading and farming, highlighting the link between
economic vulnerability and their entry into the criminal justice system
According to the study, more than a third of the women had
experienced gender-based violence, including domestic abuse, child marriage, or
coercion by partners—factors that were often directly connected to the crimes
for which they were convicted.
The study also found that 75 per cent of the women were
unaware of the laws under which they were charged, 85 per cent believed the law
was unfair to women, and over half considered their trials to be
non-transparent.
A significant number of the women reported confusion during
investigations and trial processes, and many believed their cases were
negatively influenced by the male-dominated structure of the justice
system.
The stigma of incarceration was profound, with many women
abandoned by spouses and rejected by their communities, especially in cases
involving adultery or sexual offences.
Children of these inmates reportedly faced disrupted
education, psychological trauma, and unstable living conditions due to the
absence of their mothers.
Despite facing d3ath sentences, the study showed that over
80 per cent of the women believed in rehabilitation and preferred restorative
justice approaches such as vocational training or imprisonment over capital
punishment.
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