The United Nations announced on Thursday that approximately 89,000 women and girls were killed in 2022, marking the highest annual figure recorded in the past two decades. The UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime) emphasized the alarming number of femicides, pointing to persistent deep-rooted inequalities and violence against women and girls globally.
Ghada Waly, the Executive Director of UNODC, highlighted that over half of these murders, approximately 55%, were committed by family members or partners, a significant contrast to around 12% of male victims of homicide. The region with the highest number of women and girls murdered was Africa, accounting for around 20,000 cases, followed by Asia.
Waly called for urgent action to address structural inequalities and enhance criminal justice responses to prevent violence against women and girls, emphasizing that each life lost is a call to action.