#LetsEndFemicide

 

Femicide – the killing of women because of their sex and/or gender – is happening all around us and the perpetrators usually walk free. Today alone, globally, more than 100 women will be killed by an intimate partner or family member because they are women (UNODC).

While all too often femicide happens in private, it is committed in public too, by non-family members and State actors, as well as in the world of work and in politics. Some women face a higher risk of it based on factors such as age, race, ethnicity, caste, gender identity, migrant status, and disability.

The evidence is indisputable, and the problem is getting worse. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a worldwide surge in domestic violence, which is the main precursor to femicide. In 2020, a woman or girl was killed by someone in their family every 11 minutes (UNODC). The total number of femicides is many times higher when you consider indirect forms of femicide such as maternal deaths of which there are nearly 300,000 each year or more than one every two minutes (UNFPA).

In 2021, for the 30th anniversary of the Global 16 Days Campaign, we launched an anniversary theme of Ending Femicide. Join us in advocating for women’s right to life and to take action to end femicide.

Find the 2021 Advocacy Guide here and sign the petition to declare an international day against femicide here.

Together, #LetsEndFemicide!