10% rise in gender-related killings of women and girls in Ireland in two years
Domestic femicide – the killing of a woman by a current or ex partner, family member or cohabitant – accounted for 74 per cent of cases
by IrishMirror.ie · Irish MirrorGender-based killings of women or girls increased by an alarming 10 per cent in the space of two years, a new study has found.
Cases referred to the Office of the State Pathologist relating to women rose from one in five homicides (19 per cent) between 2012 and 2020 to three in 10 (29 per cent) from 2021 to 2023.
The research team examined the 97 gender-based killings of women or girls referred for formal forensic postmortem examination from 2012 to 2023 – and found 96 died at the hands of a male perpetrator.
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Over half, or 56 per cent, were killed by a partner or ex while 20 per cent were killed by family members, with 13 of the women killed by a son.
The study carried out by the Office of the State Pathologist found that 41 per cent of women were murdered in the home they shared with their killer.
The researchers said femicide is an “increasingly prevalent medico-legal issue” which is “poorly defined and under-recorded worldwide”.
Overall, the study reported that femicide accounted for nearly one-fifth (19 per cent) of all homicides referred to the State Pathologist’s office over the 12 years from 2012 to 2023, averaging eight per year.
The pandemic year of 2022 had the highest number of femicides with 13 recorded, while 2016 had the lowest number at two cases.
Only 9 per cent of femicides occurred outdoors in a public setting. Domestic femicide – the killing of a woman by a current or ex partner, family member or cohabitant – accounted for 74 per cent of cases.
“These findings reinforce the unfortunate reality that home is not always a place of refuge for women and girls,” said the authors.
The study, published in the Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine, notes there is no definition of femicide within the Irish legal system and Ireland lacks specific national statistics on femicide rates.
In 43 per cent of intimate partner femicides and 20 per cent of familial femicides, the study reported that the perpetrator had a history of previous domestic violence.
The authors said: “Whilst prior violence is the most significant predictor of future violence, it is important to note that the occurrence of domestic violence does not equate to engagement with support services for many women.
“The social, cultural and political climate can impact a woman’s decision or ability to seek help, be it due to fear, shame, language barriers or a lack of resources. These factors often result in the lethality of the degree of violence being realised when it is too late.”
The average age of femicide victims was 42 years with 64 per cent of women aged between 26 and 55 years at the time they were killed.
“Femicides involving sexual violence had the lowest average age of 19 years,” said the researchers.
Sharp force injuries contributed to or caused the death in 42 per cent of cases while there was blunt force trauma in 37 per cent of killings.
Asphyxia was listed in 35 per cent of cases, and gunshot wounds were present in nine cases; some cases involved a combination of injuries.
Overkill, which is defined as the use of excessive, gratuitous violence beyond that necessary to cause death, was identified in 12 cases.
In all, 21 counties recorded femicides from 2012 to 2023. Dublin had nearly a third of all femicide cases (32 per cent) with 31 killings in the capital, followed by Cork with nine, Wicklow on seven and six in Louth.
Four femicides occurred in each of Donegal, Kerry, Kilkenny, Mayo and Meath over the 12-year period. Cavan, Clare, Limerick, Sligo and Waterford recorded three cases each while Laois and Offaly each had two cases.
Researchers noted that the pandemic sparked concern regarding the impact of prolonged lockdowns on rates of domestic violence.
The authors recommended “a plan to formally collect up-to-date and continuous data pertaining to national femicide rates” in order to maximise the accuracy of global femicide data.
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