A woman or girl killed every 10 minutes, UN report finds

According to the Un report, during the course of 2024, around 83,000 women and girls were deliberately killed around the worldImage: Sodiq Adelakum-REUTERS

Kieran Burke

New data from the UN shows the worrying scale of global femicides, with some 50,000 women and girls killed by a partner or family member in 2024 alone. UN Women says no real progress has been made on the deadly trend.

A woman or a girl is killed every 10 minutes around the world, new figures released by the United Nations on Monday showed.

The 2025 femicide report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and UN Women says that no real progress has been made when addressing such killings.

The UN said the release of the report marked the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

Tens of thousands of women and girls killed in 2024

During the course of 2024, the report found that around 83,000 women and girls were deliberately killed. Nearly 60% of them — or 50,000 — died at the hands of intimate partners or family members.

This equates to a woman or girl being killed by a partner or family member nearly every 10 minutes.

In comparison, the UN said 11% of male homicides were perpetrated by intimate partners or family members.

"The home remains a dangerous and sometimes lethal place for too many women and girls around the world," said John Brandolino, UNODC's acting executive director.

"The 2025 femicide brief provides a stark reminder of the need for better prevention strategies and criminal justice responses to femicide," Brandolino added.

The report also highlighted how technology had worsened some types of violence, like cyberstalking, coercive control, and image-based abuse. It was found to be a possible risk factor that escalated to the physical world and, in some cases, led to women and girls being killed.

"Femicides don't happen in isolation. They often sit on a continuum of violence that can start with controlling behavior, threats, and harassment — including online," said Sarah Hendriks, director of UN Women's policy division. 

Africa had highest femicide rate in 2024

The UN said that women and girls were being subjected to extreme forms of violence in every part of the world.

The regional breakdown saw Africa with the highest rate of femicide in 2024 with 3 per 100,000 women and girls, followed by the Americas with 1.5, Oceania with 1.4, Asia with 0.7 and Europe with the lowest at 0.5.

The report called for "urgent, coordinated prevention" and specified six key areas, among them, strengthening legal frameworks, survivor-focused services and firearm restrictions.

Edited by Sean Sinico. DW News