Stats say home most dangerous place for women

More than half the women who were murdered worldwide last year were killed by their partners or family members, making home “the most dangerous place for a woman”, a new UN study said.

In statistics released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), it was calculated that of a total 87 000 female homicide cases worldwide in 2017, about 50 000 – or 58% – were committed by the victims’ intimate partners or family members.

About 30 000, or 34%, were committed by intimate partners alone.

“This amounts to some six women being killed every hour by people they know,” the Vienna-based body said.

The vast majority – about 80% – of homicide victims worldwide were men, but “women continue to pay the highest price as a result of gender inequality, discrimination and negative stereotypes”, said UNODC chief Yury Fedotov.

“They are also the most likely to be killed by intimate partners and family ... making the home the most dangerous place for a woman,” he said.

“The fact that women continue to be affected by this type of violence to a greater degree than men is indicative of an imbalance in power relations between women and men inside the domestic sphere.”

UNODC calculated that the global rate of female homicide victims stood at about 1.3 victims per 100 000. Africa and the Americas were the regions where women were most at risk of being killed by intimate partners or family members.

In Africa, the rate was around 3.1 victims per 100 000. –