UNODC ROSAF & CPCJS Convenes a Consultation on Femicide Reviews with the SADC Stakeholders

Johannesburg, 9-11 July 2024 – In partnership with the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Section (CPCJS), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Regional Office for Southern Africa (ROSAF) convened a three-day consultation on femicide reviews with key stakeholders from eight SADC countries. The consultation brought together 30 key stakeholders from South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, including government and non-governmental organizations dealing with gender-based violence (GBV).

In addition to UN Women, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), representatives from the Sweden Embassy, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and the European Union (EU) also attended.

Participants discussed the methodology of multi-stakeholder in-depth reviews of past femicides. Such innovative approaches have significant potential to enhance multidisciplinary and coordinated crime prevention and criminal justice responses to address gender-based violence and femicide.

 Mr. Nelson Muffuh, Resident Coordinator of the United Nations in South Africa, stressed that intimate femicide is the leading cause of female murder, representing more than 56 percent of women killed in the country. He expressed concern at persisting gender inequalities and gender-based violence despite the wide-ranging intervention programmes anchored in the country’s progressive constitution.

During substantive sessions led by UNODC, participants explored different aspects of the multi-stakeholder in-depth review methodology. The consultation facilitated experience sharing and South-South cooperation, particularly during breakout sessions for in-depth discussions within smaller groups.

As one participant remarked, “The presentations of femicide reviews opened up my mind on the need to analyse statistics and ensure that matters to do with femicide are identified in order to influence policy change toward protecting victims.” Most participants expressed a commitment to further disseminate the consultation results in their respective countries and institutions.

In South Africa, a femicide review pilot is underway in Cape Town, and participants discussed the need to expand it through the use of an in-depth multi-stakeholder methodology. A hallmark of the meeting was the strong and shared commitment to preventing gender-based violence and femicide through knowledge sharing. One participant said, “An enriching building experience connections and learning from each other for a common goal - ending femicide.”

Several recommendations about setting up, implementing, and monitoring femicide reviews at both national and local levels were discussed. In addition to producing a meeting report, UNODC will hold follow-up meetings will with stakeholders to help sharing knowledge and experience and to support interested countries in piloting the multi-stakeholder in-depth femicide review methodology.

Femicide is the most extreme form of gender-based violence, with Africa being the region with the highest number of victims relative to the size of its female population.[1] Globally, about 1 in 3 women experience gender-based violence in their lifetime, with even higher prevalence in the African Region.[2] Since 2010, UNODC has supported over 50 countries worldwide in strengthening crime prevention and criminal justice responses to violence against women, with a dedicated programme against GBV in partnership with SADC.