An average of 140 women and girls were killed by a partner or relative per day in 2023, the UN says

UNITED NATIONS — The deadliest place for women is at home. Last year, an average of 140 women and girls were killed per day by an intimate partner or family member, two UN agencies reported on Monday.

Globally, an intimate partner or family member was responsible for the deaths of about 51,100 women and girls in 2023, up from an estimated 48,800 victims in 2022, according to UN Women and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime.

The report, released on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, said the increase is largely due to more data being available from countries rather than more killings.

But the two agencies stressed that “women and girls around the world continue to be affected by this extreme form of gender-based violence and that no region is left out.” And they said, “The home is the most dangerous place for women and girls.”

The highest number of murders of intimate partners and family members occurred in Africa – with an estimated 21,700 victims in 2023, the report said. Africa also had the highest number of victims in relation to population size: 2.9 victims per 100,000 inhabitants.

Last year there were also high rates in the Americas with 1.6 female victims per 100,000 and in Oceania with 1.5 per 100,000, the report said. The figures were significantly lower in Asia with 0.8 victims per 100,000 and in Europe with 0.6 per 100,000.

According to the report, the deliberate murder of women in the private sphere in Europe and America is largely carried out by intimate partners.

In contrast, the vast majority of murders of men occur outside homes and families, the report said.

“Even though men and boys are responsible the vast majority of homicide victimsWomen and girls continue to be disproportionately affected by deadly violence in private settings,” the report said.

“An estimated 80% of all homicide victims in 2023 were men, while 20% were women, but deadly family violence takes a much higher toll on women than on men, with nearly 60% of all women killed intentionally in 2023 murdered, victims. of murder of an intimate partner/family member,” the report said.

The report said that despite efforts to prevent the killing of women and girls by country, their murders remain “at alarmingly high levels.”

“They are often the result of repeated episodes of gender-based violence, meaning they can be prevented through timely and effective interventions,” the two agencies said.