At least 4,050 women were victims of femicide in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2022, meaning that one woman died violently every two hours in the region because of gender, according to the Gender Equality Observatory of Latin America and the Caribbean.
The Observatory, an initiative of the Economic Commission for Latin America and Chttps://oig.cepal.org/esaribe (ECLAC), said that these crimes took place in 26 countries and territories in the region that reported information.
This is what the data shows More than 70% of femicide victims in 2022 were between 15 and 44 years old4% were under 15 years old and 8% were 60 years or older.
In seven countries, at least 400 minors and other dependent people lost their mother or caregiver to femicide in 2022
Honduras has the highest rate, Cuba the lowest
The disaggregated numbers also show this Honduras was the country with the highest femicide rate, at six per 100,000 women. This was followed by the Dominican Republic with 2.9; and El Salvador and Uruguay with 1.6.
The countries with fewer than one victim per 100,000 deaths were Puerto Rico, Peru, Colombia, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Chile. Cuba had the lowest rate in the region at 0.3.
ECLAC Executive Secretary José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs reiterated Latin America and the Caribbean’s commitment to this Prevent and eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls.
“We never tire of repeating it. (…) It is unacceptable that in our countries more than 4,000 women and girls are murdered every year on grounds of gender,” said Salazar-Xirinachs on the eve of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, celebrated every year on November 25.
Although public awareness has increased, femicide violence still occurs
The study explained that differences in crime against women across countries are small and do not reflect sustained dynamics of increase or decrease, so no trend can be identified in femicide rates.
On the other hand, the document emphasizes, it can be stated that femicide violence continues in the region There is greater public awareness of the issue and also legislative progressCondition response and measurement progress.
Extreme expression of inequality and discrimination
Femicide is the extreme expression of inequality, discrimination and diverse forms of violence against women and girls, ECLAC explained.
Specific national surveys from ten countries in the region show that between 42% and 79% of women (approx two out of three) were victims of gender-based violence in different areas.
Aside from that, 88 million women over 15 years old in the region, i.e. one in three, were victims or experience physical or sexual violence from a perpetrator who was or is their partner, which poses a risk of lethal violence, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Child, early and forced marriages and civil partnerships are a harmful practice and a manifestation of persistent and widespread gender-based violence in the region It affects 20% of girls.
Strong government responses are needed
“Femicidal violence can be prevented through comprehensive and vigorous government measures. Deep changes are urgently needed to ensure that women and girls in our region can lead a life free of violence,” emphasized Salazar-Xirinachs.
ECLAC emphasized that it is also necessary to prevent feminicidal violence Strengthen data in relation to the presence of previous complaints of violence or precautionary measures that make it possible to assess and respond to the risk and thus avoid violent deaths based on gender.
Latin American and Caribbean countries need to expand their budgetary allocations invest to strengthen responses to gender-based violence with new strategies to respond to the different manifestations of violence, such as gender-based violence in digital media, warned ECLAC.
The UN Secretary General participates in the UNITE campaign
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, who is in Chile, took part in one of the commemoration and visibility activities that the UN system carries out in the country every year as part of the UNiTE to End campaign. Violence against women before 2030.