A new report by the United Nations has revealed a troubling global trend, with at least 140 women and girls losing their lives every day at the hands of someone well-known to them, such as a partner or a close relative.
According to the data, every 10 minutes, a woman or girl is killed, a statistic that underscores the alarming scale of intimate partner or family-related violence worldwide.
According to the report,In 2023, a total of 51,100 women and girls were killed by intimate partners or family members, a significant increase from 48,800 in 2022.
Compiled by UN Women and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the report reveals that Africa bore the brunt of these killings, with an estimated 21,700 victims in 2023.
The report also notes that globally, about 1.3 women per 100,000 of the female population were killed by an intimate partner or family member during the year.
Africa recorded the highest femicide rates, with 2.9 victims per 100,000 population, followed by the Americas and Oceania, which had rates of 1.6 and 1.5 per 100,000, respectively. In contrast, femicide rates in Asia and Europe were much lower, at 0.8 and 0.6 per 100,000.
The report further revealed that 55% of femicides globally were committed by family members, while 45% were perpetrated by intimate partners.
At least 140 women and girls across the globe lost their lives every day at the hands of someone well-known to them; their partners or a close relative, a new United Nations report has shown.
The femicide report released on Monday shows that every 10 minutes, a girl or a woman is killed.
It also showed that the number of women and girls killed by their intimate partners or other family members increased in 2023.
The data showed that 51,100 women and girls were killed by their intimate partners or other family members in 2023, as compared to 48,800 victims in 2022.
The report compiled by UN Women and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) states that Africa had an estimated 21,700 victims of intimate partner/ family-related femicide in 2023.
UN said globally, around 1.3 women per 100,000 female population are estimated to have been killed by an intimate partner or another family member in 2023.
As per regional differences, Africa has the highest number of femicides, with 2.9 victims per 100,000 population in 2023.America and Oceania also recorded high rates of intimate partner/family-related femicide in 2023, at 1.6 and 1.5 per 100,000 respectively.
The rates were significantly lower in Asia and Europe, at 0.8 and 0.6 per 100,000 respectively.
According to the data, 55 per cent of femicides worldwide are committed by family members, with 45 per cent perpetrated by intimate partners.
“This suggests that the home remains the most dangerous place for women and girls in terms of the risk of lethal victimization,” the UN said.
“Considerably less is known about the patterns and risk factors associated with the intentional killings of women and girls by other family members, which may require a broader set of prevention strategies.”
The report further found that men were victims of most cases of homicide.
However, while intimate partners or family members kill 11.8 per cent of men, 60.2 per cent of women are affected.
This data suggests that the home remains the most dangerous place for women and girls in terms of the risk of lethal violence.
The report emphasizes the need for broader strategies to address femicides committed by other family members, a category that is still not well understood.
The UN pointed out that while men are more often the victims of homicide overall, a significantly higher percentage of women (60.2%) are killed by intimate partners or family members compared to men (11.8%).
