On 2 September, the Femicide Census released the data identifying the women killed by men in 2022. The report identifies and names 121 women, 9 of these women having been murdered in Scotland.
70% of women killed by men were murdered in their own homes, or in the home they shared with their killer.
In 2022, more women were killed by their own sons than were killed by strangers. Half of the women killed were murdered by their romantic partners. This collated data suggests that British women are most at risk from violence and murder from people that they already know.
Only 9% of women were killed by strangers, people they did not know.
The figures collected for 2022 demonstrate a consistent desire from perpetrators to severely deface the women they killed. ‘Overkilling’ refers to using excessive or unnecessary force to end a person’s life. Overkilling is a key component of femicide, this was present in 67% of femicide cases from 2022. In 25% of cases, the women’s bodies were damaged or degraded post-death.
The statistics revealed by the census remain consistent with previous years. In 2021, 53% of women were killed by a current or former partner, compared to 51% in 2022. The consistency across data provides evidence divulging that steps towards ending gender-based violence have not been effective; femicide remains a consistent threat to girls and women in the UK.
Almost 60% of perpetrators had a history of violence against women. Gender-based violence is detrimentally under-reported due to stigmas and flaws in the justice system. If violence against women is taken seriously from the very first incident, femicide can be made preventable.
Co-founder of the Femicide Census, Karen Ingala Smith, has stated that the Labour government must ‘look at how and why society creates a sex class of killers and rapists’.
Globally, 2022 had the highest number of femicides across the past two decades.
The 2022 Femicide Census confirms fears that women are most at risk from violence in their own homes, from their own families.
If you are experiencing, or have experienced, domestic abuse, support can be found at https://womensaid.scot/contact-us/.
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