Español  Français   বাংলা   العربية   한글   Português   Kiswahili

Human Rights Day, December 10, 2021: Femicide – the killing of women because of their sex and/or gender – is happening all around us and the perpetrators usually walk free. Today alone, globally, more than 100 women will be killed by an intimate partner or family member because they are women (UNODC).

In March 2021, Sarah Everard was raped and murdered by an off-duty police officer in the UK. Marisol Cuadras, 18, was shot dead in Mexico on November 25, 2021 while attending a public protest to denounce violence against women. While all too often femicide happens in private, it is committed in public too, by non-family members and State actors.

Femicide also occurs in the world of work and in politics. Some women face a higher risk of it based on factors such as age, race, ethnicity, caste, gender identity, migrant status, and disability. 

The evidence is indisputable, and the problem is getting worse. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a worldwide surge in domestic violence, which is the main precursor to femicide. In 2020, a woman or girl was killed by someone in their family every 11 minutes (UNODC). The total number of femicides is many times higher when you consider indirect forms of femicide such as maternal deaths of which there are nearly 300,000 each year or more than one every two minutes (UNFPA).

Since 2019, the Global 16 Days Campaign has observed December 6 – the anniversary of the 1989 ‘Montreal Massacre,’ when a man singled out and murdered 14 women for being female – as “Femicide Remembrance Day.” Yet, more than three decades since this horrific act, women and girls continue to be targets of lethal violence in both public and private.

Today, we ask you, communities at large, organizations, and leaders around the world, to join us in calling on the UN to declare December 6 as the International Day to End Femicide. Governments are legally obligated to end femicide, and many have promised to do so. Yet, they are failing. Through an international day dedicated to ending femicide, we can:

• AMPLIFY femicide awareness and the response globally
• DEMAND that our governments act urgently to end ALL forms of femicide
• UNITE our movements and struggles across borders and build solidarity

Your signature on this petition will help persuade the UN and governments to take decisive action to end femicide and contribute to saving the lives of women and girls.

Sign now! One signature for one life.

Follow @16DaysCampaign on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for updates, activities, and advocacy events on the 6th of every month from January to June 2022.

Visit our website and see our Femicide Advocacy Guide to learn more about femicide.

For information and press inquiries contact:

Nishi Shah
Global 16 Days Campaign Program Coordinator
Email: 16days@cwgl.rutgers.edu