Every three days, a woman is killed by a man in the UK. As the country grapples with the shocking murders of Sabina Nessa and Sarah Everard, new studies reveal just how widespread femicide is worldwide
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Image: PA)
As the nation is processing the baffling and despicable murder cases of Sarah Everard and Sabina Nessa, which have both occurred in one year, a study published by the United Nations in 2019 has shown that the killing of women is a crime that is committed more often than people could imagine.
The study revealed the distressing reality of how frequent gender-related killings of women and girls across the world really was: six women are killed every hour by men around the world, most by men in their own family or their partners.
Such an atrocity is also witnessed within our very own borders, as another report has shown that in the UK, a woman is killed by a man every three days.
A portrait of Sabina Nessa is seen amongst floral tributes and messages at Cator Park on September 26, 2021
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The act of killing women and girls has gained its very own term, “femicide”, a word British organisation, Femicide Census, has appropriated to become a “unique source of comprehensive information about women who have been killed in the UK and the men who have killed them.”
The organisation, which has regularly updated research conducted on the horrific crime, has recently shared that “62% of all women killed by men (888/1,425) were killed by a current or former partner.”
Jebina Nessa (L) pays tribute to her sister during a vigil for 28 year-old teacher Sabina Nessa, whose body was found in South East London
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Moreover, Femicide Census has stated that “at least 34% of women killed had children under 18 years of age”, and that “a history of abuse was known in 59% of 1,042 femicides committed by current or former partners or other male relatives.”
Its updated report published on its official website also revealed that “on average, a woman is killed by a current or former partner every four days”, and that “of the 888 women killed by partners or former partners, at least 378 (43%) were known to have separated, or taken steps to separate, from the perpetrator.”
Sarah Everard’s murderer was sentence to life in prison without parole
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According to Femicide Census, “a history of abuse was known in 59% of 1,042 femicides committed by current or former partners or other male relatives” and of those, “a third were known to have reported the abuse to the police.”
Additionally, the devastating case of Sarah Everard’s kidnap, rape and murder by former serving police officer, Wayne Couzens, has highlighted another category of predators: those enforcing the law.
As a result, Femicide Census has found that “16 femicides were committed by men who were either in or who had retired from the police.”
The situation has reached a state of emergency, which the United Nations has called out, asking for urgent action to be taken.
The intergovernmental organisation has exposed the effect the COVID-19 pandemic has had on femicide rates.
Dubravka Šimonovic, a UN human rights expert said:
“As the world grapples with the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and its negative impact on women, a pandemic of femicide and gender-based violence against women is taking the lives of women and girls everywhere.”
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