Femicide Across the Globe - July to December 2023
Femicide—the deliberate death of women and girls for no other reason than who they are—remains a heartbreaking and widespread reality. Although internet debates over specific incidents frequently devolve into victim-blaming or inane generalisations, the hard reality is that women's lives are being mercilessly taken much too soon due to their gender. This subtle kind of violence calls for more than merely momentary indignation—rather, it necessitates a persistent dedication to comprehending its underlying roots, tearing down systems that support it, and ensuring that every victim receives meaningful justice.
To shed light on this ongoing tragedy, we've compiled a monthly report documenting global femicide cases. Through meticulous Google searches with targeted keywords, we gather verified information from news outlets, human rights groups, and trusted media. This report, analysing data from July to December 2023, aims to amplify this crucial issue and fuel continued efforts towards justice and prevention.
During these six months, a startling total of 734 reported femicides that made their way to the news were documented. The month with the highest recorded incident was October with a record number of 146 cases. The oldest victim was 109 years old, and the youngest was only a day old. The two age groups most impacted were 18–35 (32 per cent), and 36–50 (18.3 per cent). Out of 40 countries, the United States was a tragic hotspot with 53 per cent of incidents reported, while India followed closely at 22.9 per cent.
Intimate partners continued to be the most frequent offenders, accounting for 63.5 per cent of femicides. At least 58.7 per cent of the cases were caused by partners of the women which includes their boyfriends and husbands at the time, 5.3 per cent were caused by their ex-partners, 4.8 per cent were caused by their fathers, and strangers or unknown persons caused 21.4. These numbers highlight how commonplace domestic abuse is and how vulnerable women are in their communities.
These women also lost their lives to gruesome means with 34 per cent shot, 16 per cent stabbed, 6.8 per cent strangled and 31.7% reported as a murder-suicide. The reasons these women were killed were cited as their inability to cook food properly or on time, they were sex workers, honour killings, killed because they refused the sexual advances of a stranger and because they denied their partner sex when they were asked for it.
Justice remains elusive for many victims. Augusta Onuwabhagbe Osedion, killed by her partner in July, exemplifies this pain. Despite her alleged killer's arrest in Sierra Leone, authorities haven't secured his extradition, leaving her family without closure and her murderer potentially free. Augusta's story isn't unique, highlighting the devastating impact of delayed justice on victims' families.
These six months also captured reports of femicide in Nigeria with over 26 cases happening in the country. However, borders offer no true refuge, as evidenced by Taiwo Owoeye Abodunde, a Nigerian nurse tragically killed in the UK by her husband in December. This case sadly reflects a pattern of Nigerian nurses abroad falling victim to domestic violence.
Femicide continues to occur for several reasons. Women are frequently the targets of violence because of gender inequality, deeply ingrained patriarchal norms, and inadequate legal protections. Their alternatives and escape routes are further restricted by unequal access to economic and educational prospects.
The problem is further exacerbated by insufficient victim support services and inept law enforcement reactions. For instance, the Nigerian penal code allows a man to legally beat his wife as a form of correction. Also, the country’s domestic violence law is a patchwork legislation that leaves gaps and loopholes, leaving many women vulnerable.
The fight against femicide needs to use multiple approaches:
- Enacting and upholding comprehensive laws prohibiting gender-based violence, including femicide, will strengthen existing legal systems.
- Provide police officers with the necessary training to deal delicately and effectively with incidents of femicide and domestic abuse.
- Encourage gender parity through educational programmes, consciousness-raising drives, and economic empowerment schemes.
- Ensure that victims' families and survivors have access to safe havens, legal representation, healthcare, and trauma counselling.
The figures in our monthly documentation are not mere statistics but reflect broken lives and lost opportunities for the future. Every victim must be remembered, and we must demand a complete response as a group. Kenyan women recently took to the streets to demand justice and protection of their rights as women. Together, communities, governments, and individuals must destroy the systems that support violence against women and create a future in which femicide is a terrible thing of the past.