UN Report: 50,000 Women and Girls Killed by Family Members
Approximately 50,000 women and girls are murdered annually worldwide at the hands of intimate partners or family members. Asia is the most dangerous continent in this regard for women. However, men make up more than 80 percent of murder victims globally.
Intentional and unintentional murder claims the lives of nearly 464,000 people annually across the world. This statistic has been released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime for 2017.
The report shows that during the time period referenced in the statistics, significantly more people lost their lives to murder compared to the total number of victims from all armed conflicts during the same period. The number of armed conflict victims was reported at 89,000 people.
The difference in statistics between women and men is another notable point in this report: 81 percent of those killed are boys and men. The number of men is not only higher than women in the position of murder victims, but men also account for 90 percent of “murder suspects” according to the latest assessments, ahead of women.
Murder, Often at the Hands of Intimate Partners
The circumstances under which women have been murdered is another important point in this report. Of approximately 87,000 women who were intentionally and unintentionally murdered in 2017, 50 percent were killed by an intimate partner or a family member. The report states: “Many of the murdered were killed by current or former intimate partners or by a father, brother, mother, sister, or other family members based on their status in the family and their relationship to the victim.”
The report also notes that in cases where murder was committed by a former or current intimate partner, the crime typically did not occur suddenly without precedent, but rather was the culmination of a prolonged period of violence against the woman.
According to this report, jealousy and fear of separation play an important role among the motives for murder. A comparison of 2012 statistics with the new report shows that the number of victims has increased slightly.
Asia is the Most Dangerous Continent Regarding Intentional and Unintentional Murder of Women
By comparing continents with each other, it can be concluded that the highest number of domestic violence cases resulting in death among women occurred in Asia.
The United Nations registered approximately 20,000 cases of women and girls murdered by intimate partners or family members in 2017. In Africa, this figure reaches 19,000. 8,000 women and girls in the Americas, 3,000 in Europe, and 300 women and girls in Oceania lost their lives due to domestic violence.
The latest UN report identifies men aged 15 to 29 as the most dangerous age group that could commit murder.
Source: DW
