UN: 89,000 women, girls killed globally in 2022, Africa tops with 20,000

The United Nations (UN) has disclosed that about 89,000 women and girls were killed across the globe in 2022.

According to the UN report released on Thursday, November 23, 2023, this is the highest annual figure recorded in the past two decades.

Speaking on the development, the Executive Director of UNODC, Ghada Waly, said: “The alarming number of femicides is a stark reminder that humanity is still grappling with deep-rooted inequalities and violence against women and girls.

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“Each life lost is a call to action, a plea to urgently address structural inequalities, to improve criminal justice responses, so that no woman or girl fears for her life because of her gender.”

Waly stated that more than half of these murders, around 55 per cent, were committed by family members or partners, compared to about 12 per cent of male victims of homicide.

According to him, the highest number of murders of women and girls, around 20,000, took place in Africa, followed by Asia.

The Star