Women sexually assaulted during Nigerian fertility festival

Several women were sexually assaulted during a traditional festival in Nigeria’s Delta state in March 2026. The Alue-do fertility festival is celebrated by members of the Oramudu community to help married women having trouble getting pregnant. At certain points, the ritual calls for single women to stay inside. Community leaders said the event was “hijacked by hoodlums” from outside who didn’t understand the tradition and began assaulting women in the streets.