UN: 85,000 Women, Girls Killed Deliberately

(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) VIENNA, Nov 25 (KUNA) -- The available data compiled in a new UN report showed that globally, 85,000 women and girls were killed intentionally in 2023.
This means that one woman is killed every 10 minutes by their intimate partners or other family members, according to the report.
On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November, the report Femicides in 2023: Global Estimates of Intimate Partner/Family Member Femicides, prepared by UN Women and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), confirms disturbing, but well-known, facts: violence against women remains widespread, including in its most extreme manifestation, femicide, which is universal- transcending borders, socioeconomic statuses, and age groups.
The latest report on femicides reveals that 60 per cent of all female homicides are committed by intimate partners or other family members.
Sixty percent of these homicides - 51,000- were committed by intimate partners or other family members. One hundred and forty women and girls die every day at the hands of their partner or a close relative, which means one woman killed every 10 minutes, it noted.
In 2023, Africa recorded the highest rates of intimate partner and family-related femicide, followed by the Americas and Oceania.
In Europe and the Americas, most women killed in the domestic sphere (64 percent and 58 per cent, respectively) were victims of intimate partners, while elsewhere, family members were the primary perpetrators.
"Violence against women and girls is not inevitable - it is preventable. We need robust legislation, improved data collection, greater government accountability, a zero-tolerance culture, and increased funding for women's rights organizations and institutional bodies," UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous said.
"As we approach the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in 2025, it is time for world leaders to UNiTE and act with urgency, recommit, and channel the resources needed to end this crisis once and for all," she added.
Meanwhile, Ghada Waly, Executive Director of UNODC, said the new femicide report highlights the "urgent need for strong criminal justice systems that hold perpetrators accountable, while ensuring adequate support for survivors, including access to safe and transparent reporting mechanisms".
"At the same time, we must confront and dismantle the gender biases, power imbalances, and harmful norms that perpetuate violence against women. As this year's 16 Days of Activism Campaign begins, we must act now to protect women's lives," she noted.
The 30th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action in 2025, coupled with the fast-approaching five-year deadline to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, presents a critical opportunity to rally all stakeholders to take decisive and urgent action for women's rights and gender equality. This includes ending impunity and preventing all forms of violence against women and girls.
Through the 16 Days of Activism campaign, UN Women will be calling to revitalize commitments, call for accountability and action from decision-makers, she said.
This year "we mark the 25th anniversary of International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women with an official commemoration event in New York on 25 November that will highlight best practices of investment to prevent violence against women, gaps and challenges and the way forward", she concluded.
In a statement to Austria's TV, Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said almost one in every three women across the globe would be a victim of physical and/or sexual violence at least once in her life.
He pointed out that conflicts are one of the drivers of this violence, revealing that Austria supports projects for women estimated at USD 340.9 million across the globe. (end)
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