Femicide, the killing of a woman or girl because of her gender, usually by a man, is the most extreme form of gender-based violence.

The late South African feminist activist and scholar Diana Russell first popularized the word “femicide” in 1976. Russell hoped that a term to describe the killings and murders of women would help rally activists behind the fight to protect women. Since then, activists have united to stand up against femicide around the world — in Latin America, for example, where femicide is especially prevalent, the word has been translated into Spanish as “feminicidio.”

Despite efforts to stop gender-based violence over the past four decades, femicide persists globally. Gender-based violence continues to rise during the COVID-19 pandemic as more victims are trapped at home with their abusers during lockdowns. In countries where homicides are decreasing, the number of women being killed is increasing, according to the United Nations.

Here’s everything you need to know about why women around the world still live at risk of femicide.

What are the most common forms of femicide?

There are many forms of femicide but some are more widely recognized than others. “Honor killings” — in which a male relative or other family member kills a woman or girl over sexual or adulterous behavior to maintain the family’s honor — primarily occur in parts of the Middle East and South Asia. In India, women often die at the hands of their in-laws if they provide an insufficient dowry — a sum of money or goods that a bride pays to a groom’s family before marriage.

Who is most impacted by femicide?

Data on femicide is limited because most countries do not receive the necessary information to record the motivations for homicide, or the crimes go unreported. The data that is available shows that 66,000 women are killed violently every year and account for 17% of homicides.

Read the full article about femicide by Leah Rodriguez at Global Citizen.