UN report: a woman killed every 10 minutes by partner or family

A woman is killed by an intimate partner or family member every ten minutes somewhere in the world, according to a joint study by UN Women and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime released Tuesday. The research for 2024 documents approximately 50,000 such fatalities globally, averaging 137 women and girls killed daily by someone close to them.

Regional Disparities and Perpetrator Patterns

The study reveals significant geographic variations in femicide rates, with Africa recording the highest number of female intimate partner and family-related killings at an estimated 22,600 victims. Asia and Europe reported the lowest figures. Current and former intimate partners were identified as the most frequent perpetrators, responsible for roughly 60% of all intimate partner and family-related femicides, highlighting the danger women face within their closest relationships.

Vulnerable Groups and Technological Facilitation

Certain demographics face elevated risks, with indigenous women in Canada experiencing femicide rates five times higher than non-indigenous women. Women in public roles—including politicians, human rights defenders, and journalists—also confront heightened threats, with one in four women journalists globally receiving online death threats. Technology increasingly facilitates these crimes, with three-quarters of femicide victims having been stalked by their perpetrators beforehand, and digital tools used for coercive control preceding murders.

Systemic Underreporting and Prevention Challenges

Researchers emphasized that the official statistics likely represent “the tip of the iceberg,” as approximately 40% of intentional female homicides cannot be classified as femicide due to inconsistent criminal justice recording practices across nations. The report stresses that femicide typically follows escalating patterns of gender-based violence that could be interrupted through early intervention, community-wide zero-tolerance policies, and improved responses from police and judicial systems.