Home is the most dangerous place for women: UN report
A joint report by UN Women and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has revealed shocking statistics about global femicide. The study found that in 2023, an average of 140 women and girls were killed daily by intimate partners or family members. This figure accounts for around 51,100 victims worldwide. The report further highlighted that of the 85,000 women intentionally killed by men in 2023, nearly 60% were murdered by someone close to them.
Africa records highest rates of intimate partner femicides
The report also highlighted a stark regional disparity in femicide rates. Africa had the highest rates of intimate partner and family-related femicides, with an estimated 21,700 victims. The Americas and Oceania followed. The data further indicated that while men constitute 80% of global homicide victims, only 12% of these deaths occur within families. Almost 60% of female homicide victims are killed by intimate partners or family members.
'Private and domestic spheres expose women to deadly violence'
Expressing concern over the findings, UN Women's deputy executive director Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda said, "What the data is telling us is that it is the private and domestic sphere's of women's lives, where they should be safest, that so many of them are being exposed to deadly violence." The report also highlighted that many femicides go unrecorded due to poor data collection globally.
Femicides often follow repeated episodes of violence
The UN report highlighted that these deaths often come after repeated cycles of violence and can be prevented with timely interventions. It gave examples from countries such as France, where a staggering percentage of female homicides involve intimate partners or family members. In South Africa, femicides outside the domestic sphere constituted a smaller percentage of overall female homicides. Despite global efforts to curb gender-based violence, killings remain alarmingly high.
Protests and pledges against rising femicide rates
The shocking increase in femicide rates has led to protests in Turkey, Kenya, India, Mexico, etc. Governments across the world are promising new laws to tackle the issue. However, the UN emphasizes that better data collection is crucial to hold governments accountable in their fight against violence against women. The report ended by saying "significant efforts to reverse the negative trend in terms of data availability would thus increase government accountability for addressing violence against women."
