Lagos, Nigeria

March against rape: Nigerian women took to the streets in cities across the country this week to protest what they say is a hidden epidemic of rape and sexual violence. The demonstrations came after two gruesome killings made the headlines in Africa’s most populous country. Uwaila Omozuwa, a 22-year-old student, was gang-raped in a church before her assailants smashed her head in with a fire extinguisher. Just days later, another student, Barakat Bello, was raped and killed during a home robbery. Activists with the group Women Against Rape in Nigeria said the country’s macho culture encourages harassment and brutality. “In Nigeria, you see men catcalling and groping women in the market,” said activist Ebele Molua, “and they become violent once they don’t respond to their advances.” UNICEF says 1 in 4 Nigerian girls has experienced some form of sexual violence.