UN report: Over 5 women killed every hour

More than five women and girls were killed every hour by a family member in 2021, according to new UN figures on femicide, Report informs.

A report, published on Wednesday, showed that 45,000 women and girls – more than half (56%) of the 81,100 murdered last year worldwide – were killed by their husbands, partner, or other relatives.

UN Women and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime said the figures were "alarmingly high", but the true number of femicides – where women are killed because of their gender – is likely to be much higher. Roughly four in 10 deaths in 2021 were not counted as femicides because there was insufficient data. Official figures on femicide have remained largely unchanged over the past decade.

"We certainly call on everyone to play their part, knowing that violence against women and girls touches all of our lives across every country. We believe that every single one of us can make a difference," Sarah Hendriks, Director of the Programme, Policy and Intergovernmental Division at UN Women, said.

Furthermore, women's organizations are operating in "an increasingly complex environment", she added, pointing to shrinking civic space and a growing backlash against women's rights.

The UN agencies recommended that countries strengthen their data collection on femicides and address the root causes of these killings, including through the transformation of harmful masculinities and social norms to begin to eliminate structural gender disparities.