International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women: 25 November
- Femicides during the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (25 November), 2023: Violence against women was highlighted through the Global Estimates of Intimate Partner / Family Member Femicides report.
- The report, released by UN Women and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), highlights the seriousness of the global crisis of femicide.
- The killing of women is defined as intentional killing with gender-related motivation. It is motivated by discrimination against women and girls, unequal power relations, gender stereotypes or harmful social norms.
- This is different from murder, in which a gender-neutral motive may exist.
Key findings of the report:
The global scenario:
- In the year 2023, 85,000 women and girls were murdered intentionally in the world, of which 60% (about 51,100) were murdered by intimate partners or family members.
- On average, 140 women and girls are killed every day by intimate partners or close relatives.
The regional disparities:
- Africa has the highest number of victims (21,700) and the highest rate of femicide per population (2.9 per 100,000).
- This is followed by the Americas and Oceania with 1.6 and 1.5 per 100,000 respectively, while in Asia and Europe the rate was significantly lower, at 0.8 and 0.6 per 100,000.
Murders of non-household women:
- A spurt in murders of non-household women has also been observed. For example, 5% of non-domestic female homicides were reported in France (2019-2022) and 9% in South Africa (2020-2021).
Homicide:
- It is estimated that 80% of all homicides in the year 2023 involve men while 20% are women.
- But lethal violence affects women more than men, with nearly 60% of women killed intentionally in the year 2023 being victims of the murder of an intimate partner or family member.
Preventing the killing of women:
- Quite a few cases of violence related to the murder of women committed by intimate partners were reported earlier, with a similar trend observed in South Africa (2020-2021) with 22-37% of cases in France (2019-2022).
The data and availability:
- There has been a decline in the availability of data related to this only half of the countries provided data related to this in the year 2023 as compared to the year 2020 (75 countries).
- Only a few countries collect data related to non-domestic femicides using the UNODC-UN Women framework.
Forms of violence against women:
Domestic violence:
- This includes activities by a current or former partner (often a spouse or family member) that cause physical, sexual, or emotional harm.
- Examples include physical aggression, coercion, psychological abuse and controlling behaviour.
Sexual violence:
- It involves the targeting of women and girls to perform unwanted sexual acts without their consent.
- Examples include rape, sexual harassment, online sexual exploitation, non-contact sexual exploitation, trafficking and forced prostitution.
- According to the National Crime Records Bureau, more than 31,000 rape cases were reported in India in 2022 (about 87 cases per day).
Psychological Abuse:
- It includes intimidation through gaze, gestures or shouting as well as making insults, obscene or derogatory remarks.
- This includes practices such as female foeticide (which violates women’s rights and dignity) along with the isolation of menstruating women.
The cultural abuse:
- This includes negative social and cultural practices such as female genital mutilation, child marriage, forced marriage and violence.
Technology-promoted violence:
- This includes defamation, harassment, stalking, cyberbullying, distribution of morphed and deepfake videos and doxxing (public release of personal information about a woman) on online platforms.
Sexual violence in India:
Rise in crimes against women:
- According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) 2022 data, there has been a 4% increase in crimes against women in the year 2022 as compared to the year 2021.
The nature of crimes against women:
- Most of the crimes against women as of 2022 were of the following nature:
- Additionally, 13,479 cases were registered under the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961.
How to file an FIR:
- The NCRB report shows that in the year 2022, more than 4.45 lakh cases of crime against women (about 51 FIRs per hour) were registered.
More cases of rape:
- More than 31,000 rape cases were reported in 2022. Rape cases reached nearly 39,000 in 2016.
- Rape was reported by a woman every 15 minutes on average across the country in 2018.
International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women:
- This day is observed on 25 November to raise awareness against violence against women and girls (VAWG).
- It was designated by the United Nations General Assembly in the year 1999.
Honoring the Mirabal Sisters:
- This day is celebrated in honor of the Mirabal sisters (Patria, Minerva and Maria Teresa) of the Dominican Republic, who symbolized resistance against the dictatorship and violence of Rafael Trujillo.
- On November 25, 1960, the two sisters were murdered on Trujillo’s orders.
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC):
- Established in 1997, UNODC is a global leader in combating illicit drugs, transnational crime and terrorism.
- The head office: It is based in Vienna and has liaison offices in New York and Brussels.
- Prevention of Terrorism: Expanded its activities in 2002 to assist States in ratification and implementation of universal legal remedies against terrorism.
UN Women:
- UN Women is a United Nations entity whose goal is to address global gender inequality and empower women and girls.
Creation:
- Established in July 2010 by the UN General Assembly as part of the UN reform agenda. It merged four existing UN entities:
o Division for Advancement of Women (DAW)
o International Institute for Research and Training in Advancement of Women (INSTRAW)
o Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women (OSAGI)
o United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM)
Main goal:
- Eliminate discrimination against women and girls.
- Empowering women and achieving equality between women and men.
- Promote gender equality in development, human rights, peace and security.
According to the report, measures to prevent femicide:
Focus on root causes:
- Focus on root causes of gender violence at different levels.
Individual level:
- Addressing attitudes, behaviors, and histories of violence.
Interpersonal relationships:
- Improving family dynamics and partner interactions.
Community level:
- Strengthen organizational and community-based support systems.
Social Level:
- Challenging ingrained gender norms and stereotypes.
Educational initiatives:
- Integrating curriculum to promote gender equality, relationship skills and acceptable social roles for men and women.
- Involving both sexes in rethinking attitudes and behaviours that promote violence.
Legal measures:
- Classifying femicide as a separate criminal offence, adding aggravating factors to homicides motivated by gender-based motives, as in Latin America.
- Establishing dedicated units within the police, judiciary and prosecution services to combat gender violence (e.g., Canada, Sweden, Jordan).
Reducing the risk:
- To train the police to identify high-risk situations and to intervene immediately.
- Enforcing orders to prevent contact between perpetrators and victims to reduce the likelihood of homicides, and disallowing arms licenses to individuals with a predisposition to intimate partner violence.
The Awareness Movement:
- Campaigns such as the Me-Too movement (#Me Too) and Ni Una Menos (Not One Woman Less in Argentina) to draw public attention to gender violence and denounce abusive practices.
Data collection and analysis.
- Governments should prepare annual reports on trends and patterns of femicide.
- Civil society should set up a “Femicide Observatory” to monitor and analyse data from various sources.
Conclusions:
- The report highlights the global crisis of femicide, urging a multi-pronged approach to tackle gender violence. Prevention requires addressing root causes, strengthening legal frameworks, raising public awareness and improving data collection. Collective action at individual, societal and institutional levels is necessary to prevent femicide and protect women’s rights.
Key laws for women’s safety in India:
- Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956
- Indecent Representation of Women Act, 1986
- Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005
- Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013
- Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012
