Partners, family members linked to 60% of women’s murders: UN report

A United Nations report reveals that homes are the most dangerous place for women and girls, with 140 killed daily by intimate partners or close relatives — equivalent to one woman or girl every 10 minutes in 2023. Globally, 85,000 women and girls were intentionally killed that year, with 60 per cent of these homicides — approximately 51,100 — committed by intimate partners or family members. By contrast, the vast majority of male homicides take place outside homes and families.

This marks an increase from the 48,800 female victims recorded in 2022, according to UN Women and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

The report, titled ‘Femicides in 2023: Global Estimates of Intimate Partner/Family Member Femicides’, was released on November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

Africa recorded the highest number of victims, with 21,700 deaths, followed by Asia with 18,500, the Americas with 8,300, Europe with 2,300, and Oceania with 300 victims.

Africa also had the highest rate relative to its population, with 2.9 victims per 100,000 people.

There were also high rates last year in the Americas with 1.6 female victims per 100,000 and in Oceania with 1.5 per 100,000, it said. Rates were significantly lower in Asia at 0.8 victims per 100,000 and Europe at 0.6 per 100,000.

The report states that in Europe and the Americas, most women killed at home are victims of intimate partners. In contrast, most male homicides occur outside homes and families.

“Even though men and boys account for the vast majority of homicide victims, women and girls continue to be disproportionately affected by lethal violence in the private sphere,” the report said.

“An estimated 80% of all homicide victims in 2023 were men while 20% were women, but lethal violence within the family takes a much higher toll on women than men, with almost 60% of all women who were intentionally killed in 2023 being victims of intimate partner/family member homicide,” the report added.

UN Women’s Deputy Executive Director, Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, pointed to deeply entrenched gender stereotypes and harmful social norms as the root causes.

“This violence is linked to power over women,” she stated, adding that impunity for such attacks increases the problem, reported the news agency AP.

Gumbonzvanda, a Zimbabwean advocate for women’s rights, explained that when family members are perpetrators, seeking justice becomes complicated as it often requires accountability within the family itself.