At Least 11 Women Are Victims of Femicide Every Day in Latin America and the Caribbean

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• Gender affairs

22 November 2024|Press Release

ECLAC calls for urgent action to prevent and eliminate gendered violence in the region.

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In 2023, at least 3,897 women were victims of femicide or feminicide in 27 countries and territories in Latin America and the Caribbean. This means at least 11 violent deaths of women every day due to their gender, according to information that official agencies reported to the Gender Equality Observatory for Latin America and the Caribbean (GEO) of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).

The Bulletin No. 3 - Femicidal violence in figures. Latin America and the Caribbean: urgent action to prevent and eliminate femicides, launched today, is included in the UNITE to End Violence against Women Campaign organised by the United Nations Secretary General.

"In 2023, at least 11 women were murdered every day for gendered-related reasons in Latin America and the Caribbean. This painful and unacceptable number reminds us that, despite progress with laws and protocols, feminicide is still present in our region and is the most extreme expression of patriarchal and violent patterns. It is time for urgent action," stated José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, Executive Secretary of ECLAC, leading up to Ending Violence Against Women Day, which is commemorated every year on 25 November and begins 16 days of activism through 10 December, Human Rights Day.

All countries in Latin America and the Caribbean currently have laws aimed at preventing and ending violence against women; 14 countries have enacted comprehensive laws that broaden understanding and the scope of action regarding this true "shadow pandemic", and 19 countries have passed laws and protocols penalising femicide or the violent deaths of women for gender-related reasons. This is broadly the result of adopting the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995) and the Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment, and Eradication of Violence against Women (Convention of Belém do Pará, 1994) 30 years ago, as well as the Regional Gender Agenda agreed upon at the Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean over the last 47 years.

Despite legislative progress, increasing visibility and social awareness and improvements in institutional responses by States, violence against women and girls remains a persistent and widespread reality in Latin America and the Caribbean, and a serious violation of human rights, stresses ECLAC.

National surveys show that between 63% and 76% of women have experienced some type of gender-related violence in some sphere of their lives, and, according to World Health Organisation estimates, 1 in every 4 women in the region has experienced physical and/or sexual violence at the hands of their partner at least once during their lives. Young and adolescent girls are also subject to gender-related violence through child marriages and unions, which affect 1 in every 5 girls in the region.

In 2023, of the 18 Latin American countries that provided information on feminicide or femicide, 11 reported a rate higher than 1 victim per 100,000 women. Countries with the highest rates of feminicide include Honduras (7.2 cases per 100,000 women), the Dominican Republic (2.4) and Brazil (1.4). The lowest rates were reported by Haiti (0.2 cases per 100,000 women), Chile (0.4) and Guatemala (0.5 cases). The region's goal is a 0 feminicide rate.

In the Caribbean, at least 20 women were victims of gender-related violence resulting in death in 2023, according to information reported by nine countries and territories. Jamaica (13 feminicides), Suriname (4), Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (2) and Belize (1) were the countries that reported cases in the last year.

According to ECLAC, it is important to clarify that each country records victims of feminicide, femicide, or violent deaths of women for gender-related reasons in accordance with its legal classification and provides information at different points throughout its processes of criminal or judicial investigation, and it is therefore not possible to make a strict comparison of this indicator between countries.

In addition, according to reports by six Latin American countries (Colombia, Chile, Guatemala, Panama, Paraguay and Uruguay), 760 cases of prevented or attempted feminicide were recorded in 2023, a figure that increases the number of victims of extreme violence against women and girls.

The ECLAC report also indicates that most gender-related deaths of women in the region occurred at the hands of current or past partners.

Eight of the 10 countries and territories in Latin America and the Caribbean with relevant information available (Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay) report that the crime was committed by a partner or ex-partner in over 60% of cases. In Puerto Rico, 100% of reported feminicides were committed by a partner or ex-partner. In Paraguay, Cuba, Chile and Uruguay, between 73.9% and 88.9% of cases reported this same relationship between victims and aggressors.

ECLAC stresses the urgency of developing policies and programs that address barriers faced by women in accessing services, so that victims feel more confident in reporting and seeking support and protection from public bodies, which must fulfil their duty to guarantee a life free of violence.

Opinions collected in surveys carried out in eight countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico, Peru and Uruguay) between 2019 and 2024 show that only 20% to 30% of those experiencing situations of violence use state services specifically designed for them.

However, increasing trust in institutions requires effective responses, especially regarding dangerous situations. According to information from four countries (Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica and Uruguay), between 22% and 35% of femicide cases included precedents, either complaints of gender-related violence or preventive measures against the aggressor.

The ECLAC report also highlights the fact that feminicide violence affects all ages: over 75% of victims were between 15 and 59 years old, but 3% were girls under 15, and 10% were over age 60.

As has been reported in previous years, femicides also have serious consequences for the victims' dependents, including their children and other people they care for. In the seven countries that provided information in 2023 (Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Paraguay, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay), 488 indirect victims were reported.

Despite this, only eight countries in Latin America (Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru and Uruguay) have so far created concrete reparation measures to support dependents of femicide victims, which represent a fundamental response in the creation of a comprehensive approach.

Finally, ECLAC calls on governments in the region to redouble their efforts to improve record and information systems, increase budgetary resources to design public policies that provide comprehensive responses to victims and survivors and to invest in the effective prevention of gender-related violence. Risk assessment and effective protections measures for victims must be strengthened, as well as access to medical, psychosocial and legal assistance services, among others, and to educational, economic and work opportunities.