An estimated 140 women and girls across the world die at the hands of their partner or family member every day, according to new global estimates on femicide by the UN.
The report by UN Women found 85,000 women and girls were killed intentionally by men in 2023, with 60% (51,100) of these deaths committed by someone close to the victim. The organisation said its figures showed that, globally, the most dangerous place for a woman to be was in her home, where the majority of women die at the hands of men.
Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, UN Women’s deputy executive director, said: “What the data is telling us is that it is the private and domestic sphere’s of women’s lives, where they should be safest, that so many of them are being exposed to deadly violence.
The article isn’t saying X% more likely though. It’s saying X% of women who die by homicide are from domestic violence. That sounds bad, but it gives you no actionable information for what this means for homicide or domestic violence as a whole.
It’s really only a way to spread fear that if a woman is going to be killed, it’s likely from domestic violence.
The final line of the snippet states: “Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, UN Women’s deputy executive director, said: “What the data is telling us is that it is the private and domestic sphere’s of women’s lives, where they should be safest, that so many of them are being exposed to deadly violence.” It is not saying that, if women die, it’s likely from DV, nor are they claiming to speak for homicide as a whole. They’re saying that in cases of DV, women are more likely to be the victim. It’s not spreading fear, it’s just awareness. It sounds bad because it is bad. Sometimes that’s just how it is.