Governments and private sector entities should adopt measures and collaborate with civil organizations to develop effective strategies and allocate the necessary funding to end impunity and prevent violence, advised UN Women and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

Intimate partners or other family members were responsible for 60 percent of the cases in 2023, that is, 51 thousand intentional murders of the 85 thousand registered that year, details the report presented this Monday.

According to the study, violence against women remains widespread, even in its most extreme form, femicide, which “is universal and transcends borders, socioeconomic status and age groups.”

Africa, the document illustrates, recorded the highest rates of intimate partner and family-related femicides in 2023, followed by America and Oceania.

In Europe and America, the majority of those murdered in the domestic sphere (64 and 58 percent, respectively) were victims of their intimate partners, while in the rest of the world, the main aggressors were family members, the text adds.

According to the executive director of UN Women, Sima Bahous, these manifestations of aggression can be prevented: “We need strong legislation, better data collection, greater accountability from governments, a culture of zero tolerance and greater funding for women’s rights organizations and institutional bodies,” she said.

In the opinion of UNODC, the report highlights the urgent need for strong criminal justice systems that hold perpetrators accountable, guarantee adequate support for survivors and access to safe and transparent reporting mechanisms.

For its part, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) revealed that in 2023 at least 3,897 women were victims of femicide in 27 countries in the region for which they have data.

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