The deadliest place for women is at home and 140 women and girls on average were killed by an intimate partner or family member per day last year, two United Nations agencies reported on Monday.
Globally, an intimate partner or family member was responsible for the deaths of around 51,100 women and girls during 2023, an increase from an estimated 48,800 victims in 2022, UN Women and the UN Office of Drugs and Crime said.
The report released on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women said the increase was largely the result of more data being available from countries and not more killings.
But the two agencies stressed that “women and girls everywhere continue to be affected by this extreme form of gender-based violence and no region is excluded”. And they said “the home is the most dangerous place for women and girls”.
The highest number of intimate partner and family killings was in Africa – with an estimated 21,700 victims in 2023, the report said. Africa also had the highest number of victims relative to the size of its population – 2.9 victims per 100,000 people.