45,000 Women and Girls Killed by Family Members in 2021

As estimated 45,000 women and girls were killed by their intimate partner or a family member last year. This bleak figure forms part of a new report by the United Nations, drawing attention to the unacceptable threat faced by females around the world each day: based on this estimate, more than five women and girls were murdered by their partner/family every hour in 2021.

Looked at regionally, the largest amount of these homicides were committed in Asia (17,800) and Africa (17,200). When comparing per 100,000 of the female population, however, the view changes. Africa stands out from the rest of the world in this regard, with 2.5 such homicides per 100,000 population. This compares to 1.4 in the Americas, 1.2 in Oceania, 0.8 in Asia and 0.5 in Europe, which has the lowest rate.

While there are more male homicide victims every year than there are female, the threat of being killed by those supposedly closest to them is far higher for women and girls. This was the case for just 11 percent of male victims in 2021, with the share rising to 56 percent for females. According to the UN: "Gender-related killings can take place in different situations within both the private and public spheres. Examples include homicides as a result of intimate partner violence, as well as rape-murder, so-called “honour killings”, dowry-related killings, killings of women accused of witchcraft and gender-motivated homicides connected with armed conflict or with gangs, trafficking in persons and other forms of organized crime."