Top Essential Facts To Know About Femicide
Femicide or Gender-related killings is one of the most horrifying and brutal forms of manifestation that has dawned upon our society for centuries now. It is not a recent occurrence in any way. Young girls and women are in constant danger based entirely on their gender.
Stereotyping, gender biases, gender roles, and discrimination motivate or drive this horrifying violence against women and girls. The imbalanced power division between men and women produces these harmful societal norms.
Even after decades of femicide protests and activisms and the growing awareness about these toxic and dangerous practices, the numbers are still not down.
“Femicide differs from other forms of murder because it is the gender-related killing of a woman only because she is a woman. This indicates that the root causes of femicide differ from other types of murder and are related to the general position of women in the society, discrimination against women, gender roles, unequal distribution of power between men and women, habitual gender stereotypes, prejudices and violence against women.” – Ivana Milovanović (Serbian Judge)
Key Facts Of Femicide
After years of research and action were taken against these heinous crimes against women, we have concluded that these five key factors are what is behind the practice of femicide.
1. Femicide Is A Universal Problem.
Each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women.” – Maya Angelou
The acts of femicide are not colonized to a particular territory or country. Still, it is a global problem that we are dealing with. According to the 2021 stats, Asia came first with the most victims, about 17,800, and Africa with 17,200. Then comes America with 7,500, Europe with 2500, and Oceanis with 300.
2. Women And Girls Are Most Likely To Be Killed By Those Closest To Them.
“Teach her that the idea of gender roles is absolutely nonsense. Do not ever tell her that she should or should not do something because she is a girl. Because you are a girl is never reason for anything ever. ” – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
The research found that only in 2021, about 45,000 girls and women were killed worldwide by their partners or partners’ immediate family members. More than outsiders, women and girls are more in danger from their families and partners.
3. The True Scale Of Femicide Is Likely Much Higher.
“You deserve to be here. You deserve to take up space in this world of men.” – Mackenzi Lee
Although the numbers forecasted in these reports are quite high, it is only the tip of the iceberg. The actual numbers are quite higher in reality. Most of the time, the real numbers are not even documented.
4. Marginalized Women And Girls Face Greater Risk.
“I’m not going to LIMIT myself just because people won’t accept the fact that I can do something else.” – Dolly Parton
Records show that women and girls belonging to marginalized groups are much more in danger of these gender-based killings.
5. Femicide Can And Must Be Prevented.
“I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.” – Audre Lorde
It has been seen those femicides can be stopped or even prevented from happening if proper intervention takes place in time. Societal reform initiatives should also be put into action to stop these merciless killings.
Global Stats
- “Globally 81,000 women and girls were killed in 2021, around 45,000 of them died at the hands of an intimate partner or a family member.”
- “Every single day, 137 women and girls across the world are killed by a family member or intimate partner.”
- “The most dangerous place for a woman is the home: it is estimated that around the world, a woman or girl is killed every 11 minutes in their own home.”
- “Six women are killed every hour by men around the world, most by men in their own family or their partners.”
- “45% of all abortions are unsafe and could lead to complications, including death, for the woman. In some cases, abortion is essential to care, yet bans or lack of access lead to over 800 maternal deaths daily, which are preventable.”
- “In some countries, murder is the second leading cause of death for women at work, while the proportion of women killed by homicide at work is twice that of total workplace fatalities in women.”
- “According to UNODC, female sex workers are 18 times more likely to be killed than women in other professions.”
- “Across the world, femicide of transgender women often faces a high level of impunity, including the fact that the crimes often go uninvestigated.”
Africa
- In South Africa, a woman is killed every four hours.”
- “According to the human rights organization, Centre for Constitutional Rights, the femicide rate in South Africa is five times the global average.”
- “While Asia is the region with the largest absolute number of killings, Africa is the region with the highest level of violence relative to the size of its female population.”
- “According to UN Women Kenya, an average of eight women died every month in 2019 due to femicide, February being the worst with 17 deaths.”
- “In Egypt, there were 113 cases of women murdered as a result of domestic abuse in 2020, and a total of 165 cases of femicide in that same year.”
- “More than two-thirds of all women (69%) intentionally killed in Africa in 2017 were killed by intimate partners or other family members.”
Europe
- “In Spain, femicides have more than doubled compared to pre-pandemic levels: In May 2020, there was 1 femicide every week; in May 2021, this rose to 1 femicide every 3 days.”
- “German broadcaster DW reported in November 2020 that ” every day in Germany, a man tries to kill his partner or ex-partner. Every third day an attempt is successful.”
- “The number of femicides in Italy has risen by almost 16% over the past year, with the vast majority taking place in a family context. A woman is killed on average every three days in Italy.”
- “Poland has the highest rate of femicide in Europe. Approximately 400 femicides were recorded in 2020.”
The Middle East
- “400-500 honor killings take place each year in Iran. Almost always by male relatives.”
USA & Canada
- “In 2020, at least 5 Black women and girls were killed daily in the US, a 33% increase from 2019. Of these, 30% of the murders of Black women are committed by intimate partners or family members, and 9 out of 10 murdered Black women knew their killers.”
- “In the US, 3 women are murdered a day by current or former partners.”
- “In Canada, the homicide rate among indigenous women and girls (4.3 per 100,00 female population) was almost five times higher than among non-indigenous women and girls in 2021 (0.8 per 100,00 female population), and the situation does not appear to be improving.”
Asia
- “In India, dowry-related killings equal 20 femicides a day – nearly 7000 dowry deaths per day in 2020.”
- “Some sources have estimated that as many as 25 000 newly married women are killed or maimed each year as a result of dowry-related violence.”
- “In Nepal, Dalit women are disproportionately impacted by allegations of witchcraft and are murdered.”
Wrapping Up!
Femicide or Gender-related killings are a challenge for women’s rights activists to install stricter laws and punishments against such violent actions.
There is a lot to do when it comes to gender-related killings and finding a way to stop them, but that cannot happen in one day or even a few years.
But with more and more awareness programs and stricter laws, women and girls are standing up to their abusers, which shows that we are stepping in the right direction. So if you liked this article then give it a like and comment down below about your thoughts on what is femicide is and what you think should be done regarding it.
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written by
Nabamita Sinha
Nabamita Sinha loves to write about lifestyle and pop-culture. In her free time, she loves to watch movies and TV series and experiment with food. Her favorite niche topics are fashion, lifestyle, travel, and gossip content. Her style of writing is creative and quirky.
