FUF explains: Femicide – gender-based murders

On September 3, news broke that Rebecca Cheptegei, a Ugandan runner who during whichthe mare competed in the Olympics in Paris, was treated in hospital with severe burns. This after her boyfriend was suspected of having poured petrol on her and set her on fire. Two days later she died of her injuries.  

Rebecca Cheptegei turned 33 years old. She lived in Kenya, a country where violence against women is a widespread problemletc. Activists in the country have after the murder taken to the streets in protest after the event resumeawakened the debate on femicide. 

But what is really femicid?  

The term was coined in the 1970s by sociology professor Diana Russell. The word femicide is a combination of the English homicide and the Latin word for woman – femina. Amnesty International defines femicide as “murder of women – precisely because they are women", while FN defines the phenomenon as that gender relatedde and intentionga the killing of women and girls.   

Femicide driven by factors such as stereotypical gender roles, discrimination, unequal power relations, and social norms. Almost 90 women and girls worldwide were intentionally killed in 000. The highest figure in two decades. In 2022 of these cases, the perpetrator was a partner or other family member. This according to a report of UN Women, who also notesrare that the dark figure is probably significantly greater than that. 

Africa is the continent with both the highest number and highest rate of femicide in the world. By 2022, 20 of the victims were on the continent. But around the world also runs certain groups of women greater risk of exposed to femicide than others, efor example indigenous women in Australia and Canada.  

Inot either Sweden is spared. His a woman is killed by a man every three weeks. Year 2023 was reported nearare 25 sex crimes, most against girls or women. At the same time like that is appreciated to enbart a quarter of violence in intimate relationships in Sweden in factkt reported. 

A brighter future 

Activists and women's rights organizations worldwide are fighting daybedtime against men's violence against women. Some advocates legal action to change the view of femicide and for that victims should receive more easily access to justice. In 2007, Costa Rica became the first country to make femicide one crime defined by law, and several other countries have since followed the same path.  

Changed legislation may mean stricter punishment for offenders. We dota has been one particularly used tool to reduce the number of victims in Latin America which, just like Africa, is a region dis gender-based violence is a big problem. Sweden is one of many countries there femicide not exists as a separate criminal classification. Instead be treated these womenmurder under headings such as murder, rape and gross violation of women's rights. 

The protests after the murder of Rebecca Cheptegei are not them first protests against femicide that broke out in Kenya. Most recently in January demonstrated 20 000 people in the country. The influence work resulted, among other things, in a special team to investigate femicide in the country and the formation of a hotline for women who are subjected to violence. 

As Cheptegei's body was received by family ahead of her burial, supportive activists were present. One of them was Viola Cheptoo, founder of the women's rights organization Tirop's Angels. 

- We are here to say that now it will be enough, we are tired of burying our sisters because of gender-based violence, she said to reporters at AfricaNews.