HAMILTON: A new report by UN Women and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on Monday revealed the devastating global toll of femicides, with one woman or girl killed every 10 minutes by an intimate partner or family member, Anadolu Agency reported.

The report highlighted that "60 per cent of all female homicides" are committed by "people closely related to them," underscoring that femicide "remains pervasive globally."

"Globally, 85,000 women and girls were killed intentionally in 2023," the report stated, adding that "140 women and girls die every day at the hands of their partner or a close relative, equating to one woman or girl killed every 10 minutes."

The report further highlighted that Africa recorded the highest rates of intimate partner and family-related femicides, followed by the Americas and Oceania.

In Europe and the Americas, most women killed within the domestic sphere were victims of intimate partners, while in other regions, family members were the primary perpetrators.

On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a statement said: "The epidemic of violence against women and girls shames humanity."

"No country or community is unaffected. And the situation is getting worse," he said, adding that "crises of conflict, climate, and hunger have inflamed inequalities."

Citing the use of sexual violence as a weapon in conflicts, online misogyny, and a global backlash against women's rights, Guterres called for urgent action to end this crisis, emphasising the need for "justice, accountability, and support for advocacy."

"The United Nations Spotlight Initiative and the UNiTE by 2030 to End Violence against Women initiative call on all of us to join forces to end the outbreak of violence against women and girls everywhere," he said, urging the world to "heed this call."

--BERNAMA-AA