Esta entrada también está disponible en: ES (Spanish)
The UN indicated that around 48,800 women and girls were killed by partners, ex-partners, or family members in 2022, which means that more than 133 women or girls were killed each day on average by someone they knew.
With nearly 89,000 homicides of women recorded in 2022 worldwide, more than half of them were committed by their partner, ex-partner, or family members, and the most common location for the crime was the victim’s own home. UN considered the home to be the “most dangerous” place for a woman.
According to the findings of a study by the United Nations (UN) “Killings of women and girls by gender-related motives (femicide/…”feminicide), while 80% of intentional homicide victims are men, women represent 53% of all victims who die in their own homes.
“While the vast majority of male homicides occur outside the home, for women and girls, the most dangerous place is their own home,” as indicated in the report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and UN Women.
The UN pointed out that the figure of nearly 89,000 homicides of women in 2022 represents the highest annual number recorded in the past two decades, despite an overall decrease in the total number of homicides.
Around 48,800 women and girls were killed by partners, ex-partners, or family members in 2022, which means that more than 133 women or girls were killed each day on average by someone they knew.
This pattern of violent death of women in their own homes is replicated in all regions of the world.
Homicides of men and boys: UN
“On the other hand, men and children are primarily at risk of being killed by someone outside their family. Of all male homicide victims in 2022, around 12% were killed by their own partner or other family members,” the study points out.
The UN focuses on femicides at the hands of partners, ex-partners, and family members in this study but calls for better investigation of women’s homicides in public spaces because in many countries, there is no record of the motives.
“The true extent of femicide may be much higher, as information on gender-related motives is insufficient in approximately four out of every ten homicides of women,” the study states.
The report, prepared by UNODC and UN Women, highlights significant gaps in femicide data, especially in cases from African, Asian, and Oceanian countries.
“The alarming number of femicides is a stark reminder that humanity continues to grapple with deeply ingrained inequalities and violence against women and girls,” reported Ghada Waly, Executive Director of UNODC.
After Africa, with 20,000 femicides, the region where the most women are killed for gender-related reasons is Asia, with 18,400, followed by the Americas with 7,900, and Europe with 2,300.
In the Americas, divergent trends have been observed: while Central and South America saw a decrease in female homicides between 2017 and 2022, North America experienced a 29% increase, and the Caribbean an 8% increase.
In the case of North America, the study indicates that this increase is due to improved recording of such crimes.
Sources: Infobae, El Observador
