United Nations: Every 10 minutes, a female dies at the hands of her partner or family member

A new report from UN Women, the international entity that protects gender rights, and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) revealed that in 2023 a total of 85,000 women and girls were intentionally killed.

In 2023 60% of homicides against women throughout the world, approximately 51,000 killings, were committed by an intimate partner or someone else close to them

That number translates to 140 women and girls were murdered every day, which represents one femicide every 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, Africa is the region that recorded the highest rate of femicides committed by a partner or a family member last year with 2.9 victims per 100,000 female inhabitants.

“The Americas and Oceania regions also recorded high rates of feminicide committed by partners or family members in 2023, with 1.6 and 1.5 per 100,000, respectively. Meanwhile, rates were significantly lower in Asia and Europe, at 0.8 and 0.6 per 100,000, respectively,” the U.N. details.

U.N. Women Executive Director Sima Bahous said in a statement that, solving these problems requires, among other things, stronger laws and better data collection.

“Violence against women and girls can be avoided. We need strong laws, better data collection, greater government accountability, a culture of zero tolerance and more funding for women's rights organizations and institutional bodies,” Bahous said.

For her part, UNODC Executive Director Ghada Waly stressed the need for improvements in criminal justice systems.

“The new report on femicides highlights the urgent need for strong criminal justice systems that hold those responsible to account while ensuring adequate support for survivors, including access to safe and transparent reporting mechanisms.” Waly commented.

Furthermore, “we must confront and dismantle gender biases, power inequalities, and harmful standards that perpetuate violence against women. The 16 Days of Activism campaign that is about to start calls for action now to protect the lives of women.”

In relation to the above, the statement shows a UN Women initiative that began this Monday, November 25, within the framework of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and will last “16 Days of Activism against Violence against Gender.”

With this campaign, a call is made to “revitalize commitments, demand accountability and the implementation of measures by decision makers,” UN Women said.