Choosing to fight for reproductive justice in Nigeria isn’t just a career path. It’s a personal mission driven by deep purpose, unwavering resolve, conviction, compassion and urgency, in a country where the silence around unsafe abortion is costing girls and women their lives.
I will never forget Olaedo – a vibrant 16-year-old girl whose life was tragically cut short after seeking an abortion from an unskilled provider. Or Peju, a young girl who was eight months pregnant, and nearly died trying to end her pregnancy in desperation. Then there’s the image I can’t erase: a newborn abandoned in a refuse bin, left behind by a mother who saw no safe or supported way out.
These stories are not isolated – they are the devastating reality for too many girls and women in Nigeria. They are symptoms of a broken system and a society silenced by fear, shame, and misinformation.
I believe in reproductive justice – unapologetically. I believe every person has the right to live free from violence, and shame, and to make informed choices about their body and future. This is more than advocacy. It’s a fight for life. A fight for freedom. A fight for dignity, and I will not back down.
Two decades of action – My journey toward reproductive justice.
Confronted with deeply entrenched myths surrounding abortion in Nigeria, I knew silence was not an option. I chose to rise—and that decision sparked the birth of the Generation Initiative for Women and Youth Network (GIWYN). Rooted in bold, community-led solutions and grounded in feminist values, GIWYN is more than an organization—it’s a movement. A movement powered by the unwavering voices of grassroots activists, committed to making reproductive justice a reality and ensuring that choice is not a privilege, but a fundamental right.
For over twenty years, we’ve fought to protect and promote sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), gender justice, and sustainable development. Our impact has reached far and wide, touching the lives of women, girls, and young people in the communities that need it most.
GIWYN’s work is driven by evidence and rooted in accountability.
GIWYN has been a driving force in breaking the silence on reproductive rights in Nigeria.
Since 2016, our multilingual hotline has reached over 3.1 million people, leading to increased awareness, timely decision-making, and reduced misinformation on critical reproductive health issues.
Through the training and mentorship of over 5000 individuals and 1500 organizations across Africa, we’ve helped to build a skilled SRHR workforce and fostered stronger community-based responses. Our pan-African network (EMPATH Alliance) has strengthened over 68 organizations and 5000 activists, resulting in more coordinated advocacy, sustained movement-building and networking at the national, regional and global levels.
Evidence from our partnership in the SAFE Study – published in The Lancet – confirmed the safety and effectiveness of self-managed medication abortion with accompaniment support. This has contributed to expanding access and informed updates to service delivery models and monitoring systems. Our policy and legal research in Nigeria, has influenced the development of safer abortion guidelines and fostered dialogue on legal reform.
Through our mobile health van, we’ve increased access to essential products and primary health services in underserved communities, reducing travel barriers and enhancing early care-seeking behaviour. Importantly, we have mobilized 82,000 young people and supported 50 pregnant adolescents to claim their rights – leading to improved youth-led advocacy, service uptake, and greater inclusion in decision-making spaces.
I hope to see Nigeria become a leader in reproductive justice in Africa.
With bold leadership and collective action, Nigeria can become a model for progressive SRHR reform in Africa and a country where reproductive autonomy is not a privilege, but a right enjoyed by all.
We look toward a future where research like the SAFE study drives policy change and informs service delivery. Where Ministries of Health integrate comprehensive abortion care into national health strategies, and where data on abortion access is used to reduce maternal mortality and improve outcomes for all.
We hope to see an even more connected and resourced movement of feminist activists, community leaders, legal advocates, and healthcare providers working together across states and borders to dismantle harmful norms, challenge unjust laws, and promote reproductive justice in every corner of Nigeria.
By Sybil Nmezi, Founder and Executive Director of GIWYN, a SAAF grantee partner organisation in Nigeria.