SDG 5: Gender Equality | SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Institutions: Ministry of Women and Child Development | Ministry of Home Affairs
UN Women’s report “FEMICIDES IN 2024 Global estimates of intimate partner/family member femicides” estimates that approximately 50,000 women and girls worldwide were intentionally killed by an intimate partner or other family member in 2024, tragically confirming the domestic sphere as the most dangerous place for women. This staggering figure accounts for 60% of all intentional female homicides during the year, compared to only 11% of male homicides, highlighting the severe gender dimension of lethal private sphere violence. This translates to an average of 137 victims every day. Asia recorded the second-highest aggregate number of victims at 17,400, with a rate of 0.7 per 100,000 female population.
Despite the seriousness of domestic femicide, the data available remains limited, preventing accurate assessment of long-term trends in Asia, Africa, and Oceania. The current global estimate primarily focuses on killings within the private sphere due to the insufficient data on other forms of femicide.
The report highlights that risk factors like access to firearms, coercive control, stalking, and relationship separation are common triggers. Furthermore, the growing use of digital tools amplifies violence against women, including cyberstalking and coercive control, which can lead to femicide and requires emerging legal frameworks.
Effective prevention relies on:
Strengthened legal frameworks recognizing femicide explicitly,
Coordinated multi-agency responses involving police, judiciary, and social services,
Public awareness campaigns targeting harmful gender norms,
Robust data collection mechanisms such as national observatories for informed policy-making.
Albania’s creation of a Femicide Observatory provides a model for systematic monitoring and targeted interventions.
Policy Relevance: The high rate of intimate partner/family member killings underscores the urgent developmental need for legal reform, strengthening institutional coordination through multi-agency approaches and specialized units, and scaling up evidence-based primary prevention programmes (education/advocacy) targeting patriarchal norms and coercive control in India’s domestic sphere.
Follow the full news here: Femicides in 2024: Global Estimates of Intimate Partner/Family Member Femicides