On the eve of November 25, the 'International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women,' the United Nations released a heartbreaking report. Data shows that in 2024, on average, one woman dies every 10 minutes worldwide at the hands of an intimate partner or family member, meaning that for many women, 'home' is actually the most dangerous place.
According to AFP, the report released on the 24th by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and UN Women found that last year, around 50,000 women and girls globally were killed by partners or relatives such as fathers, uncles, or brothers. This data, based on statistics from 117 countries, translates to an average of about 137 women killed every day in such 'femicide' cases.
The report analyzes that in cases where women are killed globally, as many as 60% of the perpetrators are their partners or relatives; in contrast, in cases where men are killed, only 11% were killed by people close to them. Although the total number appears slightly lower than in 2023, the UN stresses that this is mainly due to variations in data collection among countries and does not reflect an actual improvement. The battle against femicide has so far shown no significant progress.
By region, Africa once again had the highest number of female victims, with about 22,000 women killed by people close to them last year.
● Tech-facilitated Violence Fuels the Killing—Deepfake Technology a New Threat
UN Women Policy Director Hendricks pointed out: 'Femicide is not an isolated incident—it is often the culmination of a pattern of violence.' This violence usually begins with controlling behavior, threats, and harassment, and now has spread to the online space.
The report specifically warns that technological developments are intensifying forms of violence against women, including the non-consensual distribution of intimate images, malicious doxxing, and the use of deepfake technology to create fake videos. Hendricks called on countries to implement laws, recognize how violence is interwoven online and offline, and hold perpetrators accountable before tragedy occurs.