It’s that time of year again – 16 Days of Activism, where governments and organisations dust off their commitments to ending violence against women.
While the speeches and hashtags flood our timelines, the stark reality remains: one woman or girl is killed every 10 minutes by someone they know and trust.
A new report released by UN Women and the UNODC, Femicides in 2023: Global Estimates of Intimate Partner/Family Member Femicides[1], paints a grim picture of the world’s progress – or lack thereof! – towards protecting women and girls.
The numbers are staggering
In 2023, 85,000 women and girls were killed intentionally worldwide. Of these, 60% – yes, 51,000 lives – were taken by intimate partners or family members.
That’s 140 women and girls every single day.
The report reveals that while no region is immune, Africa holds the highest rates of such murders, followed by the Americas and Oceania.
And while global leaders will dutifully call for change during this year’s 16 Days of Activism, the numbers tell a more honest story:
The systemic violence is relentless, and the world is still dragging its feet.
What can actually change?
It’s clear: we don’t need more awareness.
We need action.
Governments must invest in:
- Stronger laws with no loopholes.
- Comprehensive data collection to track progress (or the lack thereof).
- Safe spaces for survivors to report crimes without fear of retaliation.
- Funding for women-led organizations that are already doing the heavy lifting.
Most importantly, we need accountability. Policies don’t save lives unless they’re enforced.
Promises are cheap; action is rare
Every year, we hear the same call to action: “Violence against women is preventable.”
Sure, we know this. But where is the follow-through?
Sima Bahous, UN Women Executive Director, emphasised the need for:
- Robust legislation,
- Zero-tolerance cultures, and
- Increased funding for women’s rights organisations.
Meanwhile, Ghada Waly (the first woman to lead UNODC) said accountability and dismantling harmful norms are critical.
They’re right.
But how often are these ideas funded or supported once the campaign hashtags stop trending?
Here’s the truth:
Outside of Women’s Month or the 16 Days of Activism, tangible action for women is often scarce.
The Beijing Declaration[2], the gold standard for women’s rights, turns 30 next year. And yet, the promise of gender equality feels like a distant dream.
Adopted in 1995, the declaration was a landmark global agenda aimed at advancing gender equality and empowering women worldwide.
While considered one of the most progressive global frameworks for women’s rights, it seems as though civil society, governments and businesses pretend to not have received the memo.
16 Days of Activism: A bleak picture
Back to the Femicides in 2023 report. It highlights more than numbers; it exposes patterns.
- In Europe and the Americas, the majority of women killed in domestic spheres (64% and 58%, respectively) were victims of intimate partners.
- Family members accounted for the majority of perpetrators.
- Gender-based violence isn’t just personal, it’s structural. It is embedded in societies that still uphold harmful norms and imbalances of power.
And while the Sustainable Development Goals aim to eradicate violence against women by 2030, at this rate, it seems more likely we’ll get just another grim report instead.
Not just a campaign, but a commitment
As we are in the middle of this year’s 16 Days of Activism “campaign”, let’s skip the empty platitudes.
The hashtags #NoExcuse and #16Days are powerful, but they mean nothing if the energy fades by mid-December.
With the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action and the looming 2030 SDG deadline, it’s time to stop asking when change will happen and start demanding how.
Until then, the statistic remains: one woman is killed every 10 minutes.
And that is entirely unacceptable.
References:
[1] United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) & UN Women. (2024). Femicides in 2023: Global estimates of intimate partner/family member femicides. United Nations.
[2] United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women). (2015). Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. United Nations.
