According to the latest report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and UN Women, femicide—the intentional killing of women and girls due to their gender—is surging worldwide, with around 80,000 victims in 2024 alone. That’s an average of 137 women and girls killed every day, or one every 10 minutes. Femicide is the most extreme form of gender-based violence, driven by discrimination, unequal power, harmful social norms, and can occur in homes, workplaces, schools, and even online spaces.
Africa records the highest numbers of female intimate partner and family-related killings, with an estimated 22,600 victims in 2024, equal to three per 100,000 women. Current and former intimate partners are responsible for 60% of these killings. The report highlights that women in public life, such as journalists and politicians, face rising threats both online and offline. Technology-facilitated violence like cyberstalking and image abuse often escalates into physical violence or femicide.
The UN warns that with funding cuts and collapsing prevention programs, millions more women are at risk. Community-led organizations, especially women-led groups, have been forced to suspend essential services. Without urgent global commitment to fund and support prevention, data shows an estimated 3.3 million additional HIV infections and countless femicides could occur by 2030.
Winnie Byanyima, UNAIDS Executive Director, stressed the need for strong laws, government accountability, survivor support, and challenging harmful norms to end the crisis.
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