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

The European Institute for Gender Equality published its latest report on feminicides on the 7th February 2023, which sheds light on this phenomenon that is still so pervasive in our societies.

Feminicide, commonly known as the killing of a woman because of gender, is the most extreme form of gender-based violence, which contributes to exacerbating inequalities between men and women in society.

An estimated 47,000 women and girls were killed by their partners or family members in 2020, of whom 2,600 in Europe. However, the number of victims is much higher than these estimates. Indeed, orphans and sisters of murdered women are rarely considered indirect victims of femicide. As a result, their needs and rights are often neglected.

With this report, the European Institute for Gender Equality provides a careful analysis of the legal tools to tackle and defeat this phenomenon. The information was collected through the comparative analysis of 109 interviews with professionals/s and victims from five EU member states: Germany, Spain, France, Portugal and Romania.

The text is available here.