UN: Half of the women killed in the world die in the domestic sphere

More than half of the women killed globally last year, 56%, died at the hands of their partners or other relatives, according to new data released this Wednesday by the agency. UN Womenwhich show that the problem of male violence has hardly improved over the past decade.

The figures show that on average every hour more than five women or girls killed in the world by a member of their inner circle in 2021, although the UN agency warns that the figure could be even higher because in many cases details about the circumstances of the death are not available.

“We need concerted action across society to realize the right of women and girls to feel safe at home, on the streets and everywhere,” UN Women Executive Director Seema Bacchus said in a statement.

While men and boys are the victims of the vast majority killings in the world (81%), women suffer disproportionately from domestic violencewhich for them is more than half of the total number killings.

At the same time, only 11% of murders are registered among men in the domestic sphere.

SMALL PROGRESS

The UN Women report shows that the fight against violence sexist globally, it is stagnant as homicide figures are similar to those of a decade ago, though they also hide very different trends by region.

In Europe, for example, between 2010 and 2021, there was an average 19% reduction in the number of killings domestically, while the Americas recorded an average increase of 6%.

Even within these regions, there are important differences because, despite the growth seen in the Americas, South America has registered a clear price decline in recent years. femicide while they increased in North America.

At the same time, in Europe, the figures are much higher in the eastern countries, and the decline observed in other parts of the continent is primarily the result of the positive development of some countries (Spain and Italy in the south of Europe, the UK in the north).

Data for other regions are insufficient to compare this evolution, but in general UN Women guarantees that very little progress will be seen.

PANDEMIC IMPACT

In some regions of the world, the numbers also reflect a sharp increase in domestic violence in 2020, with many countries introducing detention decrees due to the outbreak. COVID-19 pandemic.

The most striking example is North America, where femicide in the same year they increased by 9%, which is an aberration. Meanwhile, they also rose in Western and Southern Europe, but in percentages that do not exceed other year-to-year fluctuations that have been observed previously.

According to data collected in Europe and America, the growth killings Domestic violence in 2020 was mainly the result of an increase in assaults by family members who were not the victim’s partner.

The report was published today, a few days before November 25, when International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, date when the UN also launches the annual 16-day campaign against gender-based violence.

EFE