50,000 women and girls were killed by intimate partners or family members in 2024, with Africa recording the highest number of femicide cases
UNITED NATIONS: A woman or girl was killed by someone close to her every 10 minutes worldwide last year, according to a new United Nations report.
Approximately 50,000 women and girls were murdered by intimate partners or family members in 2024, UN agencies revealed in a report marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
The report found that 60% of all female homicide victims globally were killed by partners or relatives such as fathers, uncles, mothers and brothers.
This starkly contrasts with male homicide patterns, where only 11% of victims were killed by someone close to them.
The 50,000 figure translates to 137 women killed daily, or roughly one woman every 10 minutes, based on data from 117 countries.
While the total is slightly lower than 2023’s figure, the report cautioned this doesn’t indicate an actual decrease but reflects differences in data availability between countries.
Femicide continues to claim tens of thousands of women’s lives annually with no signs of improvement, the study noted.
“The home continues to be the most dangerous place for women and girls in terms of the risk of homicide,” the report stated.
No world region was free from femicide cases, though Africa recorded the highest number with approximately 22,000 victims last year.
“Femicides don’t happen in isolation,” said Sarah Hendricks, Director of UN Women’s Policy Division.
“They often sit on a continuum of violence that can start with controlling behavior, threats, and harassment – including online.”
The report highlighted how technological developments have exacerbated violence against women through non-consensual image-sharing, doxxing, and deepfake videos.
“We need the implementation of laws that recognize how violence manifests across the lives of women and girls, both online and offline,” Hendricks emphasized. – AFP
