Description

Femicide continues to be widespread around the globe. In 2020 the global estimation of femicide shows that 47 000 women were killed by intimate partners or other family members worldwide and around 2 600 in Europe.

However, the number of victims is in fact much higher. Orphaned children, bereaved parents and siblings of murdered women are rarely considered as direct victims. Legal gaps in tackling femicide hinder their access to justice, leaving victims of femicide (family members of murdered women) feeling neglected.

This research provides a comprehensive analysis of legal responses to counter femicide, and victims’ support based on information collected through desk research, a literature review and a comparative analysis of 109 interviews with professionals and victims from five selected Member States: Germany, Spain, France, Portugal and Romania.

EIGE’s study on femicide:

  • analyses how due diligence principle is applied in femicide cases, and embedded in legislative and policy documents
  • identifies gaps between law and practice in providing justice to victims and their families
  • examines the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on femicide, specifically on how lockdown measures have impacted protection of victims, as well as their access to justice
  • provides recommendations to help EU Member States improve their institutional responses to femicide.

The report was published in 2023.