ONU MUJERES - Femicides in 2023 - Global estimates of intimate partner - family member femicides (2024)

Femicides in 2023

In this publication, the term “femicide” is used to refer to all types of gender-related killings of women and girls as described in the “Statistical framework for measuring the gender-related killing of women and girls (also referred to as “femicide/feminicide”)”, developed by UNODC and UN Women and approved by the United Nations Statistical Commission in March 2022.

© 2024 United Nations

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Suggested citation: UNODC and UN Women, Femicides in 2023: Global Estimates of Intimate Partner/Family Member Femicides (United Nations publication, 2024).

DISCLAIMER The views expressed in this research brief do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations or its officials or Member States. The designations employed and the presentation of material on any map in this research brief do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. This research brief has not been formally edited. Links contained in the present publication are provided for the convenience of the reader and are correct at the time of issue. The United Nations takes no responsibility for the continued accuracy of that information or for the content of any external website.Femicides in 2023

1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This research brief was prepared by the Research and Trend Analysis Branch (RAB), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and the Ending Violence Against Women Section (EVAWS), United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) under the

1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This research brief was prepared by the Research and Trend Analysis Branch (RAB), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and the Ending Violence Against Women Section (EVAWS), United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) under the supervision of Angela Me, Chief of RAB, and Kalliopi Mingeirou, Chief of EVAWS.

General coordination and content overview: Martijn Kind Francesca Massanello Angela Me Kalliopi Mingeirou

Analysis and drafting: Enrico Bisogno

Andrada-Maria Filip

Data and estimates production: Camelia Abdelgelil

Natalia Ivanova Markus Schwabe

Research support: Giorgia Airoldi

Lara Kuschlanski Raphaëlle Rafin

Mapping: Lorenzo Vita

Editing: Jonathan Gibbons

Infographics and cover Production: Suzanne Kunnen

Cover artwork: © Cecilia Shishan

Contributions: UNODC wishes to thank Aurélien Langlade and Keltoume Larchet (National Directorate of the Judicial Police, France), Naeemah Abrahams and Esnat Chirwa (Gender & Health Research Unit of the South African Medical Res earch Council), Angélica Sàenz Sotomonte (Ending Violence against Women Advisor, UN Women Colombia ) and Sven Pfeiffer (UNODC Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Section) for their contributions and helpful comments.

Contact: UNODC Data, Analytics and Statistics Section: unodc-dass@un.org

UNODC would also like to thank the artist Cecilia Shishan, who generously donated the artwork picture used for this research brief.Femicides in 2023 2 PREFACE The research brief this year marks a pivotal anniversary — 25 years since the adoption of United

UNODC would also like to thank the artist Cecilia Shishan, who generously donated the artwork picture used for this research brief.Femicides in 2023 2 PREFACE The research brief this year marks a pivotal anniversary — 25 years since the adoption of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 54/134, which established 25 November as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. This day commemorates the brutal assassination of the Mirabal sisters in the Dominican Republic on 25 November 1960, whose activism and sacrifice galvanized global attention towards efforts to end violence inflicted upon women and girls due to their gender. More than two decades later, and despite the efforts of women's rights movements to demand justice and accountability, as well as some notable progress in preventing and responding to violence against women and girls, significant challenges persist in fully addressing the issue. We are alarmed that the number of killings by family members and intimate partners – the most common manifestation of femicide – remains at staggering levels globally. Some 51,100 women and girls were killed at home by people closely related to them in 2023, accounting for 60 per cent of all female homicides. In too many cases, victims of femicide had previously reported violence and their killings could have been prevented. This research brief also reveals a highly worrying trend indicating that attention to the problem of femicide may have waned in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since 2020, the number of countries reporting or publishing data on the killing of women by intimate partners or other family members has decreased by 50 per cent. Yet, more and better data are needed for a deeper understanding of the issue and its magnitude, and in order to develop and implement more effective prevention and response strategies. The UNODC-UN Women Statistical framework for measuring gender-related killings provides detailed guidance for producing comprehensive data on femicide. With the clock ticking towards 2030, the target date for the Sustainable Development Goals, and as the global community approaches the 30th anniversary review of the implementation of the Beijing

prevention and response strategies. The UNODC-UN Women Statistical framework for measuring gender-related killings provides detailed guidance for producing comprehensive data on femicide. With the clock ticking towards 2030, the target date for the Sustainable Development Goals, and as the global community approaches the 30th anniversary review of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, we urgently need to accelerate progress towards gender equality and eradicating violence against women and girls. The time has come to request more accountability, more funding, and a renewed de dication to safeguarding and advancing the rights of all women and girls, in every place and in all their diversity. UN Women and UNODC remain committed to supporting Member States to end violence against women and girls and achieving justice for every victim. Impunity must end and perpetrators must be held accountable.

Ghada Waly, Executive Director, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

Sima Bahous, Executive Director, UN WomenFemicides in 2023

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................................................................... 1 PREFACE ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 2 KEY FINDINGS ............................................................................................................................................................................ 4 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................................................... 10

INTIMATE PARTNER/FAMILY MEMBER FEMICIDE IN 2023 ......................................................................................... 11

TRENDS IN INTIMATE PARTNER/FAMILY MEMBER FEMICIDE ................................................................................... 20

HOMICIDE IN THE PRIVATE SPHERE HAS A DISPROPORTIONATE IMPACT ON WOMEN AND GIRLS .............. 22

PREVENTING FEMICIDE ........................................................................................................................................................ 22

PRODUCING FEMICIDE DATA: AN UNMET CHALLENGE ............................................................................................... 28Femicides in 2023

4 KEY FINDINGS • Globally, approximately 51,100 women and girls were killed by their intimate partners or other family members during 2023. Higher than the 2022 estimate of 48,800 victims, 1 this change is not indicative of an actual

4 KEY FINDINGS • Globally, approximately 51,100 women and girls were killed by their intimate partners or other family members during 2023. Higher than the 2022 estimate of 48,800 victims, 1 this change is not indicative of an actual increase as it is largely due to differences in data availability at the country level.2 The 2023 figure means that 60 per cent of the almost 85,000 women and girls killed intentionally during the year were murdered by their intimate partners or other family members. In other words, an average of 140 women and girls worldwide lost their lives every day at the hands of their partner or a close relative. • Women and girls everywhere continue to be affected by this extreme form of gender-based violence and no region is excluded. With an estimated 21, 700 victims of intimate partner/family member femicide in 2023, Africa is the region with the highest number of victims in aggregate terms. Moreover, Africa continues to account for the highest number of victims of intimate partner/family member femicide relative to the size of its population (2.9 victims per 100,000 in 2023). The Americas and Oceania also recorded high rates of intimate partner/family member femicide in 2023, at 1.6 and 1.5 per 100,000 respectively, while the rates were significantly lower in Asia and Europe, at 0.8 and 0.6 per 100,000 respectively. • Beyond the killing of women and girls by intimate partners or other family members, other forms of femicide exist. In recent years, some countries have begun to quantify other forms of femicide by implement ing the UNODC-UN Women Statistical framework for measuring gender-related killings. In France, for example, during the period 2019–2022, 79 per cent of all female homicides were committed by intimate partners or other family members, while other forms of femicide accounted for an additional 5 per cent of all female homicides. Similarly, exploratory research in South Africa indicates that femicides outside the domestic sphere accounted for 9 per cent of total female homicides in 2020–2021.

family members, while other forms of femicide accounted for an additional 5 per cent of all female homicides. Similarly, exploratory research in South Africa indicates that femicides outside the domestic sphere accounted for 9 per cent of total female homicides in 2020–2021. • Due to a lack of sufficient data in other regions, time trends in intimate partner/family member femicide can only be monitored in the Americas and Europe at present. In the former, the rate of intimate partner/family member femicide has remained relatively stable since 2010, while it decreased slowly in Europe (-20 per cent) between 2010 and 2023, as a result of slowly declining trends in countries in Northern, Eastern and Southern Europe. • The intentional killing of women in the private sphere in Europe and in the Americas is largely committed by intimate partners. Out of all women killed by intimate partners or other family members in those two regions in 2023, 64 per cent were murdered by their intimate partners in Europe and 58 per cent in the Americas . In the rest of the world (based on available data), however, women and girls are more likely to be killed by family members (59 per cent) than by their intimate partners (41 per cent). This emphasizes the need to ensure that the prevention of domestic violence addresses intimate relationships as well as family contexts where women are at higher risk. • Available data for three countries – France (2019–2022), South Africa (2020–2021) and Colombia (2014– 2017) – confirm that a significant share of women killed by their intimate partners (between 22 and 37 per cent) had previously reported some form of physical, sexual or psychological violence by their partner. This suggests that many killings of women are preventable. R estraining orders on male partners that prohibit further contact between them and the victims of their violence are among the measures that could prevent the killing of women. • Over the past two decades, the number of countries reporting data on the killing of women and girls by intimate partners or other family members increased slowly. The number peak ed in 2020 at 75 countries , but

further contact between them and the victims of their violence are among the measures that could prevent the killing of women. • Over the past two decades, the number of countries reporting data on the killing of women and girls by intimate partners or other family members increased slowly. The number peak ed in 2020 at 75 countries , but subsequently decreased and by 2023 was half the number i n 2020. Furthermore, at present only a few countries are able to produce data on forms of femicide committed outside the domestic sphere in compliance with the UNODC-UN Women Statistical framework for measuring gender-related killings. Member States have i ncreasingly adopted measures to address femicide in recent years, but the accountability of countries’ efforts to fight gender -related killings is also measured by the quality and availability of their statistics on femicide. Significant efforts to reverse the negative trend in terms of data availability would thus increase government accountability for addressing violence against women.

1 UNODC and UN Women, “Gender-related killings of women and girls (femicide/feminicide)” (United Nations publication, 2023). 2 For more information, see the methodological annex to the present research brief.Femicides in 2023

5Femicides in 2023 6Femicides in 2023

7Femicides in 2023 8Femicides in 2023

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Place holder infographicsFemicides in 2023 10 INTRODUCTION Femicide represents the most extreme manifestation of gender -based violence against women and girls. Very often such killings are not isolated incidents but rather the culmination of pre-existing forms of gender-based violence that affect all regions and countries worldwide. Broadly speaking, femicides or gender-related killings of women and girls 3 are committed in different settings, within the private sphere and beyond, for gender-related motives. Such motives are rooted in societal norms and stereotypes that consider wome n to be subordinate to men, as well as in discrimination towards women and girls, inequality and unequal power relations between women and men in society. 4

sphere and beyond, for gender-related motives. Such motives are rooted in societal norms and stereotypes that consider wome n to be subordinate to men, as well as in discrimination towards women and girls, inequality and unequal power relations between women and men in society. 4 Gender-related motives characterize the context in which these crimes are committed, which also distinguishes them from other intentional killings of women and girls unrelated to gender motives. The Statistical framework for measuring the gender-related killing of women and girls (also referred to as “femicide/feminicide”), jointly developed by the United Nations office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and UN Women and approved by the United Nations Statistical Commission in March 2022, identifies three types of femicide:

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 homicide s of women and girls committed by perpetrators other than intimate partners or other family members and where the killing me ets at least one of eight criteria identified in the Statistical framework

This research brief is focused on patterns of and trends in the first two types of femicide as the availability of data on the third type of femicide is still very limited. The focus is therefore on femicides committed within the domestic sphere, which are by far the most prevalent form of gender -related killings of women and girls. Global and regional estimates of the number of women killed by intimate partners or other family members in 2023 are presented in this research brief, as are available time trends, other features of gender-related killings, selected practices for preventing femicides and available country data.

3 The terms “femicide” and “gender-related killings of women and girls” are used interchangeably in this research brief. 4 UNODC and UN Women, “Statistical framework for measuring the gender -related killing of women and girls (also referred to as “femicide/feminicide”)” (United Nations publication, 2021).Femicides in 2023

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4 UNODC and UN Women, “Statistical framework for measuring the gender -related killing of women and girls (also referred to as “femicide/feminicide”)” (United Nations publication, 2021).Femicides in 2023

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INTIMATE PARTNER/FAMILY MEMBER FEMICIDE IN 2023

Approximately 51,100 (45,400–56,700) women and girls worldwide lost their lives at the hands of an intimate partner or other family member in 2023. Higher than the 2022 estimate of 48,800 victims, 5 this change is not indicative of an actual increase as it is largely due to differences in data availability at the country level. 6 The 2023 figure means that 60 per cent of the roughly 85,000 women and girls killed intentionally that year were murdered by their intimate partners or other family members , such as fathers, uncles, mothers and brothers. The highest number of victims of intimate partner/family member femicide was recorded in Africa in 2023 with 21, 700 (18,600–24,600) victims, followed by Asia with 18, 500 (16,200–20,700), the Americas with 8,300 (8,100–8,500), Europe with 2,300 (2,100–2,400) and Oceania with 300 (282–420) victims. Africa continues to record the highest number of victims in aggregate terms, although it is advisable to interpret the regional estimates with caution, as they are subject to significant uncertainty given persistent limitations in terms of data availability. Estimated number of victims of intimate partner/family member femicide, by region (2023)

Source: UNODC estimates based on UNODC Homicide Dataset.

Note: Uncertainty bands represent possible estimation errors due to the imputation of missing values at the country level. T he bands do not represent probability confidence intervals. The estimates are based on the latest available data, which remain limited, especially in Africa, Asia,

Source: UNODC estimates based on UNODC Homicide Dataset.

Note: Uncertainty bands represent possible estimation errors due to the imputation of missing values at the country level. T he bands do not represent probability confidence intervals. The estimates are based on the latest available data, which remain limited, especially in Africa, Asia, and Oceania. The size of the error bars provides an indication of the level of uncertainty t hat the estimates carry at the regional level.

Disparities across regions in the total number of female victims of intimate partner/family member femicide in absolute terms also reflect differences in population size. It is therefore important to assess the scale of the problem through a different lens and to analyse the extent of the problem by looking at the rate of intimate partner/family member femicide. Globally, around 1.3 women per 100,000 female population are estimated to have been killed by an intimate partner or another family member in 2023. In terms of regional differences, it is estimated that the highest rate of intimate -partner/family member femicide was in Africa (2.9 per 100,000 female population), followed by the Amer icas (1.6), Oceania (1.5), Asia (0.8) and Europe (0.6). As shown below, however, regional rates may mask significant subregional and national disparities in terms of the level of lethal victimization.

5 UNODC and UN Women, “Gender-related killings of women and girls (femicide/feminicide)” (United Nations publication, 2023). 6 For more information, see the methodological annex to the present research brief. 0 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000 30,000 Africa Americas Asia Europe OceaniaFemicides in 2023 12 Estimated rate of victims of intimate partner/family member femicide per 100,000 female population, by region (2023)

Source: UNODC estimates based on UNODC Homicide Dataset.

Africa Americas Asia Europe OceaniaFemicides in 2023 12 Estimated rate of victims of intimate partner/family member femicide per 100,000 female population, by region (2023)

Source: UNODC estimates based on UNODC Homicide Dataset.

Note: Uncertainty bands represent possible estimation errors due to the imputation of missing values at the country level. The bands do not represent probability confidence intervals. The estimates are based on the latest available data, which remain limited, especially in Africa, Asia, and Oceania. The size of the error bars provides an indication of the level of uncertainty that the estimates carry at the regional level.

The vast majority of intentional killings of women and girls worldwide are perpetrated by intimate partners or other family members. This suggests that the home remains the most dangerous place for women and girls in terms of the risk of lethal victimization. On closer inspection of the relationship between victims and perpetrators, estimates based on available data suggest that the largest share of intimate partner/family member killings in Europe and in the Americas are in fact committed by intimate partners, with 64 per cent being murdered by their intimate partners in Europe and 58 per cent in the Americas. In the other three regions –Africa, Asia and Ocea nia – available data suggest that the majority of female victims of intimate partner/family member femicide were killed by family members (59 per cent) rather than intimate partners (41 per cent). Given the differences in victim -perpetrator dynamics among these two types of fe micide, targeted prevention policies are needed to tackle these specific forms of gender -based violence within the domestic sphere. The context in which intimate partner violence can escalate into a killing has been widely studied by criminologists and academics, with a series of risk factors such as a history of violence between the perpetrator and the victim, previous threats and an actual or pending separation being identified.7 Considerably less is known about the patterns and risk factors associated with the intentional killings of women and girls by other family members , which may require a broader set of prevention strategies.

violence between the perpetrator and the victim, previous threats and an actual or pending separation being identified.7 Considerably less is known about the patterns and risk factors associated with the intentional killings of women and girls by other family members , which may require a broader set of prevention strategies.

7 Johnson, H. et.al., “Intimate femicide: The role of coercive control”, Feminist Criminology, vol. 14 (2017). 0 1 2 3 4 Africa Americas Asia Europe Oceania WorldFemicides in 2023

13 Shares of perpetrators of femicide within the family, by region (average 2010–2023)

Source: UNODC estimates based on UNODC Homicide dataset.

BOX 1: CHARACTERISTICS OF FEMICIDES IN FRANCE PERPETRATED BETWEEN 2019 AND 2022

(Contribution by the Criminological Research Division of the National Directorate of the Judicial Police in France) In France, violence against women has been receiving increased attention in recent years and, although long underestimated, it is now acknowledged to be a national priority. Since 2017, P resident Macron has made the fight against this type of violence the "great national cause" of his term of office. In 2019, the French Government organised a series of debates and consultations designed to step up the fight against this phenomenon. This political attention has led to stronger systems of prevention, protection and support for victims, but despite this progress, violence against women remains a major challenge for French society. The latest French victimiz ation survey , Vécu et Ressenti en Mat ière de Sécurité (Experiences and perceptions in terms of security), estimates that 240,000 women were victims of physical violence and 217,000 of sexual violence in the country in 2022.8 Homicide remains the paroxysmal manifestation of the continuum of v iolence against women and its continued monitoring helps to improve understanding of trends in violence against women . The National Directorate of the Judicial Police

217,000 of sexual violence in the country in 2022.8 Homicide remains the paroxysmal manifestation of the continuum of v iolence against women and its continued monitoring helps to improve understanding of trends in violence against women . The National Directorate of the Judicial Police (DNPJ)9 collects and analyses operational data (criminal files, records of investigation s and archives) on all intentional homicides committed in France. In 2024 , DNPJ has implemented the S tatistical

8 Service statistique ministériel de la sécurité intérieure ( SSMSI), Survey report, Vécu et Ressenti en Matière de Sécurité, Victimation, Délinquance et Sentiment d’Insécurité (2023). 9 Within DNPJ, the Criminological Research Division (DRC) is responsible for studying criminal phenomena and developing monitoring tools for field personnel. It collects and processes information collected by DNPJ and disseminates insights gained through cri minological analysis.Femicides in 2023 14 framework on gender -related killings of women and girls developed by UNODC and UN Women 10 to measure the total number of femicides in France. Co nstantly updated based on information from law enforcement activities, the preliminary data for the period 2019–2022 are presented here. For this and other reasons, such data may slightly differ from statistical data on intentional homicides released by the statistical service of the Ministry of the Interior. Shares of femicides among total intentional homicides of women, France (2019–2022)

Source: National Directorate of the Judicial Police (DNPJ).

In France, most killings of women have a gender-related motive Between 2019 and 2022, 956 women or girls were victims of intentional homicide in France and 84 per cent of the killings were femicides. The majority of these gender-related killings were of women killed by their current or former in timate partner (56 per cent of all women killed), 23 per cent were killed by other family members and a smaller share of women (5 per cent) were killed because of a gendercent of the killings were femicides. The majority of these gender-related killings were of women killed by their current or former in timate partner (56 per cent of all women killed), 23 per cent were killed by other family members and a smaller share of women (5 per cent) were killed because of a genderrelated motive by perpetrators outside their family. A significant share (14 per cen t) of female homicides was perpetrated due to motives unrelated to gender ( for example, in connection with a robbery or dispute) and in the case of a small share (2 per cent) of all female homicides there was not sufficient information available to establish their nature. On average, the femicide rate in France was 0.58 per 100,000 female population in the years 2019 to 2022, during which it ranged between 0 .51 (2021) and 0. 67 (2019) . The femicide rate underwent a decreasing trend until 2021 , but then rose again because a greater number of women were killed by other family members. Some 40 per cent of femicides perpetrated outside the domestic sphere (47 cases during the period under examination) were accompanied by sexual violence, while extreme violence or mutilation of the body was used against the victim in almost one third of cases. In the case of one third of femicides perpetrated outside the family sphere, the victims were in vulnerable situations , such as being employed in the sex industry or subject to illegal exploitation.

10 UNDOC and UN Women, “Statistical framework for measuring the gender -related killing of women and girls (also referred to as “femicide/feminicide”)” (United Nations publication, 2021).Femicides in 2023

15 Number of femicides, by type, France (2019–2022)

Source: National Directorate of the Judicial Police (DNPJ).

Criteria for identifying femicides not perpetrated by intimate partners or other family members, France (2019–2022)

Source: National Directorate of the Judicial Police (DNPJ).

Source: National Directorate of the Judicial Police (DNPJ).

Criteria for identifying femicides not perpetrated by intimate partners or other family members, France (2019–2022)

Source: National Directorate of the Judicial Police (DNPJ).

Note: The sum of the percentages is higher than 100 as there are femicide cas es where multiple criteria are met.

For example, a femicide committed after sexual violence could also be accompanied by mutilation of the victim’s body .

Context and modus operandi of femicides It is extremely common for victims of femicide to know the perpetrator, with victims and perpetrators knowing each other in 97 per cent of cases. This finding is also observed in other Western European countries11 and is particularly relevant in informing prevention measures. Most femicides in France are committed with a weapon: 29 per cent with a bladed weapon and 22 per cent with a firearm, most of which are domestic hunting weapons. Over one third of femicides in France are committed without a weapon (37 per cent). This is not specific to France, as the distribution is t