Last year, 85,000 women and girls were deliberately killed worldwide, amounting to one woman being murdered every ten minutes, according to a report released on Monday by the Vienna-based United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

The report, Femicides in 2023, indicates that 60% of the killings were carried out by intimate partners or other family members.

Africa recorded the highest rates of femicide by intimate partners and family members, followed by North and South America and Oceania. In Europe and the Americas, the majority of women killed in domestic settings (64% and 58%, respectively) were victims of intimate partners. In other regions, family members were the main perpetrators.

Austria stood out as the only EU country where more women than men were killed last year. According to figures from the Interior Ministry, 42 women were killed in the country compared to 30 men, with 83.3% of these incidents occurring in domestic settings.

“Violence against women and girls is preventable, and we know what works,” said Sima Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women. The report stressed the urgent need for a strong criminal justice system to hold offenders accountable while ensuring survivors receive adequate support, added Ghada Waly, Executive Director of UNODC. “At the same time, we must tackle and dismantle the gender biases, power imbalances, and harmful norms that sustain violence against women. As we begin this year’s ’16 Days of Activism’ campaign, we must act now to protect women’s lives.”