By Busayo Onijala
GLOBALLY, 85,000 women and girls were killed intentionally in 2023, with 60 per cent of the homicides committed by intimate partners or other family members, UN Women said.
In a statement on Monday, UN Women said that 140 women and girls die daily in the hands of their partners or close relatives. This means that one woman or girl is killed every 10 minutes.
The data was revealed in the UN Women and UNODC’s latest report, “Femicides in 2023: Global Estimates of Intimate Partner/ Family Member Femicides”.
The report was launched on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women is marked on Nov. 25 yearly, with 2024 being the 25th anniversary.
According to the UN Women, in 2023, Africa recorded the highest rates of intimate partner and family-related femicide, followed by the Americas and then, Oceania.
“In Europe and the Americas, of the women killed in the domestic sphere, 64 per cent and 58 per cent respectively, were victims of intimate partners, while elsewhere, family members were the primary perpetrators,” UN Women said.
It quoted its Executive Director, Sima Bahous, as saying that violence against women and girls was not inevitable but preventable.
“We need robust legislation, improved data collection, greater government accountability, zero-tolerance culture, and increased funding for women’s rights organisations and institutional bodies.
“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.”
It quoted the Executive Director of UNODC, Ghada Waly, as saying that the new femicide report highlighted the urgent need for strong criminal justice systems that would hold perpetrators accountable, while ensuring adequate support for survivors.
It also quoted Waly as saying that gender biases, power imbalances and harmful norms that perpetuated violence against women must be confronted and dismantled.
“As this year’s 16 Days of Activism Campaign begins, we must act to protect women’s lives,” it also quoted Waly as saying. (NAN)
