A recent report unveiled by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and UN Women disclosed a disturbing reality – in 2024, approximately 50,000 women and girls fell victim to fatal violence at the hands of their partners or family members, equating to one tragic death every 10 minutes. Despite ongoing global efforts, these harrowing numbers remain unchanged, emphasizing the persistent challenge.
The 2025 femicide report, released in conjunction with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, reiterated the somber truth that tens of thousands of women and girls worldwide continue to lose their lives to femicide, indicating a lack of significant progress in combating this issue.
Within the past year, a staggering 83,000 women and girls were intentionally killed, with a concerning 60% of these fatalities, totaling 50,000 individuals, attributed to intimate partners or family members. This alarming trend translates to nearly one woman or girl succumbing to such violence every 10 minutes, averaging 137 tragic deaths daily. In stark contrast, only 11% of male homicides were linked to intimate partners or family members.
Sarah Hendriks, Director of UN Women’s Policy Division, emphasized that femicides are often part of a broader continuum of violence that can commence with controlling behaviors, threats, and harassment, including online abuse. The need for early intervention systems and the implementation of laws that address violence against women and girls both online and offline to prevent such atrocities was underscored.
The report further underscored that women and girls globally are disproportionately affected by femicide, with John Brandolino, acting Executive Director of UNODC, emphasizing that the home remains a perilous environment for many of them. Enhancing prevention strategies and criminal justice responses to femicide is imperative to address the conditions fostering this extreme form of violence.
Notably, Africa reported the highest rate of femicide by intimate partners or family members, followed by the Americas, Oceania, Asia, and Europe. While femicides can also occur outside the home, the lack of comprehensive data on these incidents necessitates collaborative efforts with countries to implement the 2022 statistical framework by UN Women and UNODC. Improving data collection and classification of gender-related killings is crucial for accurately assessing the prevalence of femicides, facilitating effective responses, and ensuring justice for the victims.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, help is available through Refuge’s 24-Hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline at 0808 2000 247. Your feedback is valuable to us; kindly complete the survey to assist us in enhancing our content.