A new report from UN Women and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reveals a horrifying reality: in 2024, a woman or girl was killed by an intimate partner or family member somewhere in the world every 10 minutes.
According to global data collected from 117 countries, roughly 50,000 women and girls lost their lives to intimate-partner or family-member femicides in 2024 alone — equivalent to an average of 137 victims every single day.
In total, about 83,000 women and girls worldwide were intentionally killed in 2024. Of these, approximately 60% were killed by partners or family members, confirming that for far too many, home — where they should be safest — is the most dangerous place.
What the Numbers Reveal — and What They Don’t
- The “every 10 minutes” statistic turns raw figures into real lives — mothers, daughters, sisters, friends whose lives ended abruptly in domestic violence.
- These numbers likely understate the true scale of the crisis. Gaps in reporting, misclassification of deaths, and lack of data from many regions suggest that the real toll may be much higher.
- Femicide is a global problem — no region is untouched. However, certain regions show higher absolute numbers, reflecting social, economic, and structural factors that exacerbate risk.
Why This Crisis Persists
The root causes are deep and interwoven:
- Gender inequality and harmful social norms that condone control, possessiveness, and violence in intimate or family relationships.
- Weak institutional protections and inadequate enforcement — in many places, laws exist but implementation is poor, and survivors struggle to access safe reporting, justice, or support.
- Silence and stigma around domestic violence, which discourage many victims from seeking help or speaking out.
- Lack of awareness — many societies underestimate how widespread and lethal domestic violence can be, treating it as private rather than systemic.
What Must Change — A Call to Action
- Strengthen laws and their enforcement, ensuring perpetrators are held accountable and survivors receive justice.
- Invest in prevention and support — safe shelters, hotlines, counselling, legal aid, and community outreach must be scaled up globally.
- Break the silence and change culture — through education, public awareness, and by challenging norms that normalize violence against women.
- Collect and publish better data — accurate, timely data is vital to understand the full scope of femicide and to design effective interventions.
Conclusion — A Global Emergency That Demands Immediate Action
The statistic — one woman killed every 10 minutes by someone close to her — should shock us into action. It’s not just a number. It’s a global emergency.
Behind every figure is a human life, lost far too soon. Until we confront this with honesty, urgency, and collective will, the numbers will only climb — and for some, home will remain a place of fear rather than safety.
References
- Every 10 minutes, a woman is killed by her partner or family member somewhere in the world (UN Women / UNODC 2025 report) CBS News+2www.ndtv.com+2
- Facts and figures: Ending violence against women — data on global prevalence and femicide statistics UN Women Knowledge hub+1
- Global estimates on female intimate-partner and family-member homicides for 2023 and 2024 (UNODC / UN Women) UNODC+2UN Women Knowledge hub+2
- Analysis of regional and global patterns of gender-related killings of women and girls, including 2024 global totals and rates bdnews24.com+2www.ndtv.com+2
