Home deadliest for women; one killed every 10 minutes: UN
What's the story
A new report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and UN Women has revealed that every day, every 10 minutes, a woman is killed by someone she knows. The study, released to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, highlights the alarming trend of femicide (the killing of a woman) worldwide. It also notes that global efforts to curb femicide have stalled, and violence against women remains deeply rooted and widespread.
Statistics revealed
Femicide rates and global patterns
The report found that around 50,000 women and girls were killed in 2024 by intimate partners or family members. This data was collected from 117 countries, averaging out to 137 women being killed every day, and one woman every 10 minutes. The study also found that 60% of all female homicide victims last year were murdered by someone close to them.
Domestic violence
Home: The most dangerous place for women
The report also highlights that the "home continues to be the most dangerous place for women and girls in terms of the risk of homicide." Africa recorded the highest number of femicides with around 22,000 cases, followed by Asia, the Americas, Europe, and Oceania. Researchers cautioned that although the total is slightly lower than the previous year, it does not indicate a real decline in violence.
Digital dangers
Technology's role in modern threats to women
The report also highlights how technological advancements have given rise to so-called modern threats for women, including non-consensual image-sharing, doxxing, and deepfake videos. Sarah Hendricks, Director of UN Women's Policy Division, emphasized that "femicides don't happen in isolation." She stressed the need for the implementation of laws that recognize how violence manifests across the lives of women and girls, both online and offline, and hold perpetrators to account well before it turns deadly.