More than five women or girls were killed every hour by someone in their own family in 2021, it was revealed in a United Nations (UN) and UNODC report on femicide released on Nov 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
Of all the women and girls intentionally killed last year, some 56 per cent were killed by intimate partners or other family members (45,000 out of 81,000)*. The data suggests that the home is not a safe place for women.
UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous said: “Behind every femicide statistic is the story of an individual woman or girl who has been failed. These deaths are preventable—the tools and the knowledge to do so already exist. Women’s rights organizations are already monitoring data and advocating for policy change and accountability. Now we need concerted action across society that will fulfill women’s and girls’ right to feel and to be safe, at home, on the streets, and everywhere.”
UNODC Executive Director Ghada Waly said: “No woman or girl should fear for her life because of who she is. To stop all forms of gender-related killings of women and girls, we need to count every victim, everywhere, and improve understanding of the risks and drivers of femicide so we can design better and more effective prevention and criminal justice responses. UNODC is proud to launch the 2022 femicide study with UN Women to galvanize global action and salute the efforts of women’s rights organizations around the world to end this crime.”
