TikTok influencer shot dead while live streaming

A global epidemic, Killed by someone in their own family, The most dangerous place, Femicide is a global problem, Femicide is much broader, Sex workers are at risk, What are honor killings?, Violence against women with disabilities, Latin America and the Caribbean, A European problem, too, The true scale of femicide is likely much higher, Data is needed, Indigenous women in Canada and Australia, Comprehensive data is needed, Femicide can and must be prevented

Valeria Marquez, a 23-year-old beauty influencer, was live streaming from her salon in Zapopan, Mexico, when she received a small parcel.

Smiling and playful, she showed her followers a stuffed toy she had just unwrapped, seconds before she was fatally shot. The livestream continued as she fell forward. The video ended only when someone else picked up her phone, briefly revealing their face to the camera.

Authorities are investigating the killing as a suspected femicide. Marquez, who had over 100,000 Instagram followers, is the latest victim in a country grappling with rampant violence against women—a crisis that has echoed around the world.

Defined as an intentional killing with a gender-related motivation, femicide may be driven by stereotyped gender roles, discrimination towards women and girls, unequal power relations between genders, or harmful social norms. And despite decades of activism from women's rights organizations, and growing awareness from governments worldwide, evidence shows that progress in stopping such violence isn't happening quickly enough. 

Click on to learn more about the sad reality of femicide around the world.

A global epidemic

A global epidemic, Killed by someone in their own family, The most dangerous place, Femicide is a global problem, Femicide is much broader, Sex workers are at risk, What are honor killings?, Violence against women with disabilities, Latin America and the Caribbean, A European problem, too, The true scale of femicide is likely much higher, Data is needed, Indigenous women in Canada and Australia, Comprehensive data is needed, Femicide can and must be prevented

The latest figures from the United Nations (UN) show that in 2023, around 51,100 women and girls worldwide were killed by their intimate partners or other family members (including fathers, mothers, uncles, and brothers).

Killed by someone in their own family

A global epidemic, Killed by someone in their own family, The most dangerous place, Femicide is a global problem, Femicide is much broader, Sex workers are at risk, What are honor killings?, Violence against women with disabilities, Latin America and the Caribbean, A European problem, too, The true scale of femicide is likely much higher, Data is needed, Indigenous women in Canada and Australia, Comprehensive data is needed, Femicide can and must be prevented

This means that, on average, 140 women or girls are killed every day by someone in their own family.

The most dangerous place

A global epidemic, Killed by someone in their own family, The most dangerous place, Femicide is a global problem, Femicide is much broader, Sex workers are at risk, What are honor killings?, Violence against women with disabilities, Latin America and the Caribbean, A European problem, too, The true scale of femicide is likely much higher, Data is needed, Indigenous women in Canada and Australia, Comprehensive data is needed, Femicide can and must be prevented

In fact, the most dangerous place for a woman is her home. It's estimated that around the world, a woman or girl is killed every 10 minutes in their own home.

Femicide is a global problem

A global epidemic, Killed by someone in their own family, The most dangerous place, Femicide is a global problem, Femicide is much broader, Sex workers are at risk, What are honor killings?, Violence against women with disabilities, Latin America and the Caribbean, A European problem, too, The true scale of femicide is likely much higher, Data is needed, Indigenous women in Canada and Australia, Comprehensive data is needed, Femicide can and must be prevented

Like all forms of gender-based violence against women and girls, femicide is a problem that affects every country across the globe.

Femicide is much broader

A global epidemic, Killed by someone in their own family, The most dangerous place, Femicide is a global problem, Femicide is much broader, Sex workers are at risk, What are honor killings?, Violence against women with disabilities, Latin America and the Caribbean, A European problem, too, The true scale of femicide is likely much higher, Data is needed, Indigenous women in Canada and Australia, Comprehensive data is needed, Femicide can and must be prevented

However, femicide can be related to sexual violence by someone unknown to the victim, linked to harmful practices such as female genital mutilation, or connected with armed conflict, human trafficking, and other forms of organized crime.

Sex workers are at risk

A global epidemic, Killed by someone in their own family, The most dangerous place, Femicide is a global problem, Femicide is much broader, Sex workers are at risk, What are honor killings?, Violence against women with disabilities, Latin America and the Caribbean, A European problem, too, The true scale of femicide is likely much higher, Data is needed, Indigenous women in Canada and Australia, Comprehensive data is needed, Femicide can and must be prevented

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), female sex workers are 18 times more likely to be killed than women in other professions. 

What are honor killings?

A global epidemic, Killed by someone in their own family, The most dangerous place, Femicide is a global problem, Femicide is much broader, Sex workers are at risk, What are honor killings?, Violence against women with disabilities, Latin America and the Caribbean, A European problem, too, The true scale of femicide is likely much higher, Data is needed, Indigenous women in Canada and Australia, Comprehensive data is needed, Femicide can and must be prevented

An honor killing is the murder of a relative, especially a girl or a woman, who is perceived to have brought dishonor to the family.

Violence against women with disabilities

A global epidemic, Killed by someone in their own family, The most dangerous place, Femicide is a global problem, Femicide is much broader, Sex workers are at risk, What are honor killings?, Violence against women with disabilities, Latin America and the Caribbean, A European problem, too, The true scale of femicide is likely much higher, Data is needed, Indigenous women in Canada and Australia, Comprehensive data is needed, Femicide can and must be prevented

Although there's a higher incidence of violence against women with disabilities, femicides of women with disabilities remain an "invisible" problem, as data isn't consistently collected. 

Latin America and the Caribbean

A global epidemic, Killed by someone in their own family, The most dangerous place, Femicide is a global problem, Femicide is much broader, Sex workers are at risk, What are honor killings?, Violence against women with disabilities, Latin America and the Caribbean, A European problem, too, The true scale of femicide is likely much higher, Data is needed, Indigenous women in Canada and Australia, Comprehensive data is needed, Femicide can and must be prevented

According to the Spanish newspaper El País, in Latin America and the Caribbean, 12 women and girls are killed every day. However, 98% of cases go unprosecuted.

A European problem, too

A global epidemic, Killed by someone in their own family, The most dangerous place, Femicide is a global problem, Femicide is much broader, Sex workers are at risk, What are honor killings?, Violence against women with disabilities, Latin America and the Caribbean, A European problem, too, The true scale of femicide is likely much higher, Data is needed, Indigenous women in Canada and Australia, Comprehensive data is needed, Femicide can and must be prevented

According to UNODC, an estimated 2,300 women are killed every year in Europe at the hands of their partners or ex-partners. Unfortunately, many member states of the European Union don't have official records of femicide, which limits the full picture of the situation. 

The true scale of femicide is likely much higher

A global epidemic, Killed by someone in their own family, The most dangerous place, Femicide is a global problem, Femicide is much broader, Sex workers are at risk, What are honor killings?, Violence against women with disabilities, Latin America and the Caribbean, A European problem, too, The true scale of femicide is likely much higher, Data is needed, Indigenous women in Canada and Australia, Comprehensive data is needed, Femicide can and must be prevented

In reality, too many victims of femicide still go uncounted. For roughly four in 10 intentional murders of women and girls, there isn't enough information to identify them as gender-related killings.

Data is needed

A global epidemic, Killed by someone in their own family, The most dangerous place, Femicide is a global problem, Femicide is much broader, Sex workers are at risk, What are honor killings?, Violence against women with disabilities, Latin America and the Caribbean, A European problem, too, The true scale of femicide is likely much higher, Data is needed, Indigenous women in Canada and Australia, Comprehensive data is needed, Femicide can and must be prevented

Ensuring the availability of comprehensive data is critical to strengthening femicide prevention, protection and response measures.

Indigenous women in Canada and Australia

A global epidemic, Killed by someone in their own family, The most dangerous place, Femicide is a global problem, Femicide is much broader, Sex workers are at risk, What are honor killings?, Violence against women with disabilities, Latin America and the Caribbean, A European problem, too, The true scale of femicide is likely much higher, Data is needed, Indigenous women in Canada and Australia, Comprehensive data is needed, Femicide can and must be prevented

Despite data limitations, the available evidence from Canada and Australia suggests that Indigenous women are disproportionately affected by gender-related killings. 

Comprehensive data is needed

A global epidemic, Killed by someone in their own family, The most dangerous place, Femicide is a global problem, Femicide is much broader, Sex workers are at risk, What are honor killings?, Violence against women with disabilities, Latin America and the Caribbean, A European problem, too, The true scale of femicide is likely much higher, Data is needed, Indigenous women in Canada and Australia, Comprehensive data is needed, Femicide can and must be prevented

To prevent femicide, it's crucial that national authorities record comprehensive data on victims. 

Femicide can and must be prevented

A global epidemic, Killed by someone in their own family, The most dangerous place, Femicide is a global problem, Femicide is much broader, Sex workers are at risk, What are honor killings?, Violence against women with disabilities, Latin America and the Caribbean, A European problem, too, The true scale of femicide is likely much higher, Data is needed, Indigenous women in Canada and Australia, Comprehensive data is needed, Femicide can and must be prevented

Gender-related killings and other forms of violence against women and girls aren't inevitable. They can be prevented through primary prevention initiatives focused on transforming harmful social norms and engaging communities to create zero tolerance for violence against women.

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