Bob CollinsA United Nations report says although men are most likely to be the victims of homicide, women are far more likely to be killed by someone they know, and are most likely to be killed at home.
One in five homicides is carried out by someone the victim knows, and the vast majority are women and girls.
Even more sobering, efforts to reverse these facts haven’t yet helped, the New York Times says. In fact, the chance of a woman being killed by a relative or intimate partner have increased 10 percent since 2012.
The actual numbers are probably higher because so many crimes against women go unreported.
“There’s limitations to the data,” said Jodie Roure, a professor at John Jay College in New York. “Are we getting a perfect picture? No. But the important part is that we’re talking about it, because we weren’t talking about it not too long ago.”
Men who kill their female partners often cite jealousy, drinking and fears of abandonment, the study found. In contrast, women who killed their male partners often said that they had suffered extended periods of physical violence, the Times said.
“We need to sensitize the justice system – making women feel comfortable reporting, that they are listened to and that there are implications for the abuser,” Jean-Luc Lemahieu, director of policy analysis and public information at the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, tells the Washington Post.
Related: Major failings outlined in rape investigations (Star Tribune)
