CWA # 1555
UN’s Recent Report on Femicides: Six Takeaways

Nupur Priya
24 December 2024

Photo Source: The UN Women

The term “Femicide” was first used in 1976 by Diana Russell during the First International Tribunal on Crimes against Women. The word “Femicide” represents all kinds of gender-related killings of women and girls described in the Statistical Framework for measuring the gender-related killing of women and girls. Femicide is the highest degree of gender-based violence against women and girls. The fundamental causes of these intentional killings of the female gender are essentially sexism, misogyny and power imbalance in the society. A report on Femicides in 2023 was jointly developed by UN Women and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and approved by the United Nations Statistical Commission. The Statistical Framework for measuring the cases of Femicide recognises three types of Femicides:

1.      Intentional Homicides of women and girls perpetrated by intimate partners
2.      Intentional Homicides of women and girls perpetrated by other family members
3.      Intentional Homicides of women and girls committed by perpetrators other than intimate partners or other family members and where the killing meets at least one of eight criteria identified in the Statistical Framework – Previous record of harassment/violence; illegal deprivation of her liberty; use of force and/or mutilation; body disposed in a public space; hate crime; sexual violence was committed before; victim was working in the sex industry; and victim of forms of illegal exploitation
 
However, the report covers the first two types of Femicides, basically focusing on femicides within the domestic sphere. The substance of the report revolves around the gender dimension of homicide. It highlights that even though the male share of homicide victims is 80% and the female share is 20%, the majority of female homicides occur in the domestic sphere.
 
1. 51,100 women were killed in 2023 by their intimate partners or family members 
Approximately 51,100 women and girls were killed by their intimate partners or other family members globally during 2023. 140 women and girls were killed every day on average by someone in their own family in 2023. Globally, 1.3 women per 100,000 female population were victims of intimate partner or another family member femicide in 2023.

2. Africa has the largest number of Femicides
The regional estimates show that Africa constituted the largest number of intimate partner/family member femicides, with 21,700 killings and 2.9 femicides per 100,000 female population. Africa is followed by Asia, Americas, Europe and Oceania in terms of total number of intimate partner/family member femicides; while considering the rates of intimate partner/ family member femicides per 100,000 female population, Africa is followed by Americas, Oceania, Asia and Europe in the given order.

The report also highlights the share of male and female homicide victims killed by intimate partners or other family members. While 11.8% of male homicides were committed by intimate partners or other family members, the number for the same in the case of women is 60.2%.

The report examines a varying share of femicides committed by intimate partners or other family members within the domestic sphere across different regions of the world. Globally, 55% of femicides were committed by family members and 45% were committed by intimate partners.
 
3. Violence against women is acknowledged to be a National Priority in France but still, the number of femicides is alarming in the country
Despite the increased political attention, gender-based violence against women is a serious challenge for French society. The report analyses the data for the period 2019-2022, which shows that 84% of female homicides in France are actually femicide. In France, most killings of women have a gender-related motive. In 97% of the cases, the victim and the perpetrator know each other. Also, most femicides in France are committed using a weapon. The report outlines that generally, femicides in France are an extreme stage of previously ongoing domestic violence (physical, sexual or psychological) by the intimate partner.

The report also mentions data from South Africa (2020-2021) and Colombia (2014-2017). The analysis of the three countries highlights that, generally, femicide victims previously reported domestic violence by partners or family members, which suggests that these murders were preventable. One measure suggested by the report is restraining order on male partners.
 
4. The report mentions the measures to prevent femicides 
The repeated events of gender-based violence culminate into femicides. This can be mitigated through effective interventions. Gender-based violence and its root causes can be explained by the ecological model, which is also instrumental in implementing prevention strategies. This model sheds light on different factors that cause gender-based violence at various levels, namely, the individual, interpersonal relationships, community and society.

The report highlights different measures to prevent gender-based violence against women and girls. These measures include specific areas of intervention, namely-

1.      Primary Prevention, which means changing societal norms, attitudes and stereotypes in both men and women
2.      Legal responses, which involve criminalizing femicide as an offence in the criminal code
3.      Criminal Justice Responses, like the establishment of specialized units to investigate and prosecute offences related to gender-based violence
4.      Multi-agency approaches in the investigation and prosecution of domestic violence cases
5.      Civil Society efforts like campaigns and advocacy against gender-based violence, including femicide
6.      Data Collection efforts by the government and specialized agencies; and to release annual reports to analyse the trends associated with gender-based violence

5. Preventing Domestic Violence can prevent Femicides
One major intervention mentioned in the report that significantly decreases the risk of femicide is domestic violence. Femicide caused in a domestic area by an intimate partner or other family members generally has two factors- domestic violence and possession of firearms. So, prevention of domestic violence and removal of firearms can be adopted as combined measures to reduce the risk of femicide.
 
6. Data collection for femicide is a challenge at both national and global levels
The UNODC-UN Women Statistical framework is an instrument of International standards for the measurement of gender-related killings of women and girls and the production of high-quality and comparable data on femicide. Even though many countries are implementing this framework, the availability of femicide data in many countries is a considerable challenge. The quality and availability of data on femicide is a major factor in a country’s accountability and proper implementation of measures against gender-based violence. The reporting of data on femicide by countries in 2023 has reduced by half as compared to 2020. 

About the author
Nupur Priya is a Postgraduate student at the Department of Politics and International Studies, Pondicherry University. 

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