Women, girls more at risk to be killed at home: UN

More than five women or girls were killed every hour on average by someone in their own family in 2021, according to a new UN report on femicide.

The report by the UN Office on Drugs and Crimes and UN Women comes ahead of International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on Nov. 25

Around 45,000 women and girls, 56% of the 81,000 intentionally killed worldwide last year, were murdered by intimate partners or other family members, the report said, indicating that home is not a safe place for many women and girls.

The figures show that in the past decade, the overall number of female homicides has remained largely unchanged.

"Behind every femicide statistic is the story of an individual woman or girl who has been failed. These deaths are preventable," said UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous.

Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crimes, Ghada Waly, said no woman or girl should fear for her life because of who she happens to be.

"To stop all forms of gender-related killings of women and girls, we need to count every victim, everywhere, and improve understanding of the risks and drivers of femicide so we can design better and more effective prevention and criminal justice responses."

Asia recorded the largest number of gender-related killings with 17,800 deaths in 2021, according to the report.

However, women and girls were more at risk of being killed by intimate partners or other family members in Africa.

The rate of gender-related killings in the home was estimated at 2.5 per 100,000 of the female population in Africa, compared with 1.4 in the Americas, 1.2 in Oceania, 0.8 in Asia and 0.6 in Europe.