Improving legal responses to counter femicide in the European Union: Perspectives from victims and professionals

The latest report on femicide, published on February 7th 2023 by the European Institute for Gender Equality, sheds light on its invisible victims.

Femicide, commonly understood as the killing of a woman or girl because of her gender, is the most extreme form of gender-based violence, deeply rooted in the inequalities between men and women in society.

It is estimated that, globally, around 47.000 women and girls were killed by their intimate partners or other family members in 2020, and around 2.600 were killed in Europe. However, the number of victims is much higher. Orphaned children and bereaved parents and siblings of killed women are rarely considered direct victims of femicide. As a result, their needs and rights – both during and after the criminal proceedings – are often overlooked.

With this report, the European Institute for Gender Equality provides a comprehensive analysis of legal responses to counter femicide.

The information was collected through desk research, a literature review and a comparative analysis of 109 interviews with professionals and victims from five selected Member States: Germany, Spain, France, Portugal and Romania.

Read the full report.