1 woman or girl killed every 10 minutes by intimate partner, family member: UN

By Merve Aydogan

HAMILTON, Canada (AA) - A new report from UN Women and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on Monday revealed the global toll of femicides, with one woman or girl killed every 10 minutes by an intimate partner or family member.

Noting that "60% of all female homicides" are committed by "people closely related to them," the report further stressed that femicide "remains pervasive globally."

"Globally, 85,000 women and girls were killed intentionally in 2023," it said, adding that "140 women and girls die every day at the hands of their partner or a close relative, which means one woman or girl is killed every 10 minutes."

The report highlighted that the highest rates of intimate partner and family-related femicides were recorded in Africa, followed by the Americas and Oceania.

In Europe and the Americas, most women killed within the domestic sphere were victims of intimate partners, while in other regions, family members were the primary perpetrators.

On the occasion of International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a statement said: "The epidemic of violence against women and girls shames humanity."

"No country or community is unaffected. And the situation is getting worse," he said, adding that "crises of conflict, climate, and hunger have inflamed inequalities."

Citing the use of sexual violence as a weapon in conflicts, online misogyny, and a global backlash against women’s rights, Guterres called for urgent action to end this crisis, emphasizing the need for "justice, accountability, and support for advocacy."

"The United Nations Spotlight Initiative and the UNiTE by 2030 to End Violence against Women initiative call on all of us to join forces to end the outbreak of violence against women and girls everywhere," he said, urging the world to "heed this call."