New York: Nearly one woman or girl is killed by a partner or family member every 10 minutes, an average of 137 per day, according to new data released by the United Nations.
The report, issued on Monday by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and UN Women, highlights that femicide continues to claim the lives of tens of thousands of women and girls worldwide, with little evidence of real progress.
“Last year, 83,000 women and girls were killed intentionally. Of them, 60 per cent – around 50,000 – were killed at the hands of intimate partners or family members,” the report said. In contrast, just 11 per cent of male homicides were committed by intimate partners or family members during the same period.
John Brandolino, acting Executive Director of UNODC, emphasised: “The home remains a dangerous and sometimes lethal place for too many women and girls around the world.” He stressed the urgent need for improved prevention strategies and criminal justice responses that address the conditions perpetuating this extreme form of violence.
Sarah Hendriks, Director of UN Women’s Policy Division, drew attention to the rising threat of online violence. “Digital violence often does not remain online and can escalate offline, in the worst cases contributing to lethal harm, including femicide,” she said.
The report noted that women and girls are subjected to femicide in every region globally. Africa recorded the highest rate of femicide by an intimate partner or family member at three per 100,000 female population, followed by the Americas (1.5), Oceania (1.4), Asia (0.7) and Europe (0.5).
While femicides also occur outside the home, data on these cases remain limited. Although the nearly 50,000 women and girls killed in the private sphere in 2024 is slightly lower than the 2023 estimate of 51,100, the report stated this difference largely reflects variations in data availability at the country level rather than a true decrease.
With PTI inputs