Femicide. What exactly is it? What do we know about the figures? And how is it being tackled at present? In 2024, 45 women were murdered in the Netherlands (CBS, 2025). These murders have one thing in common: they are often gender-motivated. In this article, you can read more about the meaning of femicide.
Femicide. What exactly is it? What do we know about the figures? And how is it being tackled at present? In 2024, 45 women were murdered in the Netherlands (CBS, 2025). These murders have one thing in common: they are often gender-motivated. In this article, you can read more about the meaning of femicide.
What is the meaning of femicide?
Femicide is often used as a synonym for the murder of women. The term ‘murder of women’ encompasses any murder of a woman. However, the term ‘femicide’ focuses on the motives behind these murders. These motives are gender-related. Consequently, not all murders of women are cases of femicide. There is as yet no consensus on the precise meaning of the term.
Definitions
Various researchers and institutions are attempting to define the underlying motives behind the murders of women. Many articles cite the American researcher, former professor and activist Dr Diana E. H. Russell as the first person to use the term ‘femicide’ in a feminist context. She did so during the first International Tribunal on Crimes Against Women in 1976. This was a gathering at which crimes against women were documented for the first time. Russell used the following definition: “femicide, the killing of females by males because they are female.”
She based this definition on the unpublished work of Carol Orlock. When Russell first heard the term, she immediately recognised its value. In a video from 2011, the American feminist argues that the origin and use of the term are essential. A life-threatening danger such as femicide requires language. Yet Russell’s definition does not fully capture the essence of the issue. Surely not only men can harbour misogyny? The United Nations defines the term as follows: “gender-related killings of women and girls”.
The murder of a woman because of her gender
The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) state that femicide involves the murder of a woman because of her gender, that is, because she lives her life as a woman. Atria adopts the definition of the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) and defines femicide as: the murder of a woman because of her gender. In the Netherlands, we now often refer to ‘intimate partner femicide’ when discussing femicide: the murder of a woman by an intimate partner. This form of femicide is the most common in the Netherlands.
Femicide is therefore not an isolated phenomenon, but part of a broader context of gender-based violence.
The different forms of femicide
The build-up to femicide follows certain patterns and involves risk factors, but every case of femicide has its own personal story. The motives and forms of violence vary widely. The backgrounds of the victims also differ. Femicide knows no boundaries of ethnicity, social class or religion. It occurs across all sections of society.
Translation of the white sign: ‘I’m shouting today, because if I’m no longer here tomorrow, I want them to shout for me’.
How common is femicide?
A research report on femicide by UN Women and UNODC reveals that in 2024, nearly six women and (young) girls worldwide were murdered by a family member or (ex-)partner. Not per week or per day, but per hour.
Figures for the Netherlands
Statistics Netherlands (CBS) maintains public records of murder and manslaughter in the Netherlands. In more than 80 per cent (nearly 90 per cent) of murders of women between 2020 and 2024, the perpetrator was someone known to the victim (an acquaintance, (ex-)partner or family member). More than half of these women (52%) were murdered by their (ex-)partner. Among women aged between twenty and sixty, this figure is 65%. In addition, 20% of the women were killed by a family member. (CBS, 2025)
The Femicide Monitor is a research project run by Leiden University and was officially launched on 3 April 2025. The initial findings can be found in the Factsheet: Femicide in the Netherlands 2014–2024 [PDF]
‘Dark number’
It is important to consider the ‘dark number’. In other words: the unrecorded data on crimes. For instance, not every crime is reported, nor is the context of every case – that is, the relationship between the victim and the offender – investigated. And not every offender is tracked down. Furthermore, not everyone is registered as a (former) partner with the civil registry (data used by Statistics Netherlands and therefore Eurostat to categorise perpetrators and victims). And people in vulnerable situations do not always hold Dutch identity documents. Only by gathering more information about the perpetrators, victims and the context can we learn more about the motives behind the murder of women. This helps to develop more targeted policies and intervene in good time to prevent femicide.
One cause of femicide: challenging expectations
In our society, women face different expectations regarding their behaviour than men do. Caring, kind and accommodating: that is how a woman ‘is supposed’ to be. Men, on the other hand, are expected to be the opposite of women: strong, cool-headed and dominant. But not everyone identifies with this image. A woman who takes matters into her own hands – for example, by speaking out or ending a relationship – goes against the norm. A (former) partner or family member who wants to keep this woman under their thumb, in line with the male norm, thus loses control. This results in jealousy, anger or even aggression.
This violence exposes underlying gender roles and power dynamics between men and women. The factsheet ‘Gender Norms and Violence among Young People’ (2020) by Atria and Rutgers shows that 13 per cent of the boys surveyed believe that hitting their girlfriend is sometimes necessary to command respect. 4 per cent of the girls surveyed agree with this. Rigid views on masculinity and femininity – so-called gender norms – play a crucial role in the emergence of this violence. Aggression is therefore not just a problem of the past and present, but also for the future.
Domestic violence
In the Netherlands, women are most commonly killed by their (ex) partners. In many cases of murder by a (former) partner, violence precedes the act. For example, in the form of threats and stalking. Natalie (35), for instance, received 44 threats from her partner before he put his threats into action. Rachel’s (30) ex-partner installed spyware on her phone to keep tabs on her. Domestic violence, intimidation or sexual violence also often precede femicide. Yet we hear very little about this. Many women do not dare to speak out when they are in an abusive relationship.
"There is a great deal of shame amongst women."
There is a widespread misconception that you have to be weak and stupid to be trapped in an abusive relationship, but that is not the case. A toxic relationship can happen to anyone. That is why we need to make domestic violence a topic that can be openly discussed. In this way, we can hopefully prevent violence ‘behind closed doors’ from proving fatal to more women. Incidentally, intimate partner violence is not the only risk factor for femicide. Financial insecurity, emotional dependence and pregnancy, for example, also play a role.
How do we tackle femicide?
The problem is not new, even though more and more media outlets have been shining a light on femicide in recent years. Generally speaking, the media fail to recognise the pattern of violence. Women are losing their lives due to the same underlying issue, but terms such as ‘crime of passion’, ‘relationship conflict’ or ‘family tragedy’ tend to underestimate the scale of the problem. Various researchers and organisations now argue that it is important to:
Acknowledge
Put it on the agenda
Investigate further, particularly in the Dutch context
Make it a topic of discussion in educational organisations, amongst healthcare professionals, and within the police and the justice system
To learn from the approaches taken in other countries
About femicide & Atria
Atria conducts research into the prevention of sexual violence and violence by ex-partners (within the Act4Respect alliance). The aim is to prevent these forms of gender-based violence by focusing on the lower levels of the pyramid of violence.
