Launched on the twenty fifth anniversary of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, the report sheds mild on the worldwide disaster of femicide and requires pressing motion.
“The epidemic of violence towards girls and ladies shames humanity,” mentioned Secretary-General António Guterres in his handle for the day. “The world should heed this name. We want pressing motion for justice and accountability, and assist for advocacy.”
The report additionally coincides with the beginning of the annual 16 Days of Activism marketing campaign, which runs from 25 November to 10 December.
This 12 months, the UNITE campaign is drawing consideration to the alarming escalation of violence towards girls underneath the theme, “Each 10 minutes, a girl is killed. #NoExcuse. UNITE to Finish Violence towards Ladies”.
A common problem with regional disparities
Femicide transcends borders, socioeconomic statuses, and cultures, however its severity varies regionally.
In line with the report, Africa recorded the best charges of intimate accomplice and family-related femicides, with 21,700 girls killed in 2023, adopted by the Americas and Oceania.
In Europe and the Americas, most victims have been killed by their intimate companions, comprising 64 per cent and 58 per cent of circumstances, respectively. In distinction, girls in Africa and Asia have been extra prone to be killed by relations than by companions, reflecting various cultural and social dynamics answerable for this discrimination.
Essential gaps in knowledge and accountability
Regardless of the alarming numbers, the dearth of constant and complete knowledge stays a big problem.
Solely 37 international locations reported knowledge on intimate accomplice and family-related femicides in 2023, a pointy decline from 75 international locations in 2020. This knowledge hole hampers efforts to observe tendencies and implement accountability for these crimes.
UN Women and UNODC careworn the necessity for systematic knowledge assortment as a part of a broader technique to deal with violence towards girls. Correct and clear knowledge is important to tell coverage, monitor progress, and guarantee governments stay accountable for his or her commitments to gender equality.
Posters made by youngsters from Ixtapaluca, State of Mexico, alluding to the eradication of violence towards girls and ladies.
Shifting ahead: A world mandate
Because the world approaches the thirtieth anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in 2025, coupled with the fast-approaching five-year deadline to attain the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal 5 on gender equality, the report serves as a name to motion.
“Violence towards girls and ladies shouldn’t be inevitable—it’s preventable,” mentioned Sima Bahous, UN Women Executive Director.
She emphasised the necessity for “sturdy laws, improved knowledge assortment, larger authorities accountability, a zero-tolerance tradition, and elevated funding for girls’s rights organizations and institutional our bodies.”
“The brand new femicide report highlights the pressing want for sturdy prison justice programs that maintain perpetrators accountable, whereas making certain sufficient assist for survivors, together with entry to secure and clear reporting mechanisms,” added Ghada Waly, Executive Director of UNODC.
“As this 12 months’s 16 Days of Activism Marketing campaign begins, we should act now to guard girls’s lives,” Ms. Bahous concluded.
