Homicide:
The World Health Organisation (2013) indicates that 38% of all murders of women globally are committed by intimate partners. The UN Report ‘the World’s Women’ (2020) found that around one third of women worldwide have experienced physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner; and 18% have experienced such violence in the past 12 months. An estimated 137 women are killed by their intimate partner or a family member every day. This UNODC study (2019) offers insights into the gender-related killing of women and girls.
Publication Links:
UNODC study (2019)
Violence against women
The World’s Women 2020 Trends and Statistics
LINK: World Health Organization, Department of Reproductive Health and Research, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, South African Medical Research Council (2013). Global and regional estimates of violence against women: prevalence and health effects of intimate partner violence and non-partner sexual violence,
England and Wales
There were 357 domestic homicides recorded by the police in England and Wales in the three-year period between year ending March 2017 and year ending March 2019. 77% (n=274) of victims of domestic homicide were female compared with 13% of victims of non-domestic homicide. The suspect was male in most cases (n=263; 96%). Of the 83 male victims of domestic homicide, the suspect was female in 39 cases (47%), and male in 44 cases (53%). The average age of a domestic homicide victim was 46 years. The highest proportion of domestic homicide victims fell within the 25 to 34-year age range.
Information on the characteristics of victims of domestic homicide can be found in the Domestic abuse victim characteristics, year ending March 2020 publication.
LINK: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/ articles/domesticabusevictimcharacteristicsenglandandwales/yearendingmarch2020
Home Office defines Domestic Homicide as: An offence of murder, manslaughter or infanticide where the relationship between a victim aged 16 years and over and the perpetrator falls into one of the following categories: spouse, common-law spouse, cohabiting partner, boyfriend or girlfriend, ex-spouse, ex-cohabiting partner or ex-boyfriend or girlfriend, adulterous relationship, son or daughter (including step and adopted relationships), parent (including step and adopted relationships), brother or sister, other relatives.
The Femicide Census (https://www.femicidecensus.org/) is a unique source of comprehensive information about women who have been killed in the UK.
The latest 10-year report is the most comprehensive study to date: https://www.femicidecensus.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/422/2020/11/Femicide-Census-10-year-report.pdf
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/nov/22/if-im-not-in-on-friday-i-might-be-dead-chilling-facts-about-uk-femicide
Covid-19
Lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic and its social and economic impacts have increased the exposure of women to abusive partners and known risk factors while limiting their access to services.
See:
https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/covid-19-and-violence-against-women
https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/in-focus-gender-equality-in-covid-19-response
https://www.womensaid.org.uk/covid-19-does-not-cause-homicide-abusers-do/
HALT
Abuse:
The Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW), year ending March 2020 reported that an estimated 2.3 million people (5.5% of adults) aged 16 to 74 years experienced DVA in the last year. As in previous years, DVA is more likely to be perpetrated by a partner or ex-partner.
More information on the prevalence of DVA can be found in the Domestic abuse prevalence and trends, England and Wales: year ending March 2020 publication.
LINK: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/articles
/domesticabuseprevalenceandtrendsenglandandwales/yearendingmarch2020
HALT
Learning Together:
Home Office documents relating to domestic homicide reviews and their processes can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/domestic-homicide-review
Standing Together have been involved in the DHR process from its inception and provide resources and case analysis in London: https://www.standingtogether.org.uk/dhr
Further information and the HALT team publications can be found under the resources tab.