Global Meeting on Measuring Femicide: Moving Toward Harmonized and Actionable Data
From July 15 to 17, 2025, the Global Meeting on Measuring Femicide and Other Forms of Violence against Women and Girls was held in Vienna, Austria, organized by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and UN Women. The event brought together experts from 27 countries representing national statistical offices, police forces, ministries of security, mechanisms for the advancement of women, among others. In addition, the Economic Commissions for Latin America and the Caribbean, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and representatives of civil society participated.
The objective of the global meeting was to share progress, lessons learned, and challenges in implementing the statistical framework for measuring gender-based homicides of women and girls. Similarly, countries shared their best practices in institutional coordination, quality statistical processes, and the use of tools for visualizing and disseminating information. Other sources of information for measuring gender-based violence and the use of new sources to complete the analysis were also presented.
The first day of the Global Meeting began with welcoming remarks from Angela Me, Head of the Research and Trend Analysis Branch at UNODC, and Papa Seck, Chief Statistician at UN Women. Both highlighted the urgency of measuring femicide and acknowledged the commitment shown by participating countries, emphasizing the importance of ensuring that every victim is counted, using data not only to document violence but also as a starting point for action and prevention. Angela Me proposed bringing together a community of experts to analyze the methodological aspects of femicide and support its dissemination.
In the first session, international experts and representatives outlined a common vision on the statistical definition of femicide, presented recent estimates, and shared updates from pilot countries, along with the progress report submitted to the UN Statistical Commission and new guidance materials. Maurice Dunaiski (UNODC) and Raphaëlle Rafin (UN Women) warned of the limitations in measuring femicide due to the lack of consistent data, although they highlighted the progress made in international data collection, a key factor in conducting accurate temporal analyses of the phenomenon. Rafin pointed out that the proposed statistical framework does not depend on specific legislation and that its effectiveness requires close inter-institutional collaboration to incorporate contextual data to guide prevention policies. For her part, Sujung An (UN Women) explained that the pilot implementations in Fiji and Mongolia focused on evaluating existing data systems, beyond simply counting cases.
For their part, Teresa Guerra (CEEG-UN Women-INEGI) and Adriana Oropeza (CdE UNODC-INEGI), with the experience of Chile, Ecuador, and the Dominican Republic as a basis, showed that reliable data can drive legal and political change. They shared some of the good practices identified in Latin America, such as inter-institutional statistical processes, as well as advances in incorporating practices that facilitate interoperability between institutions.
Oropeza also presented the activities in Albania and Lesotho, highlighting the importance of developing statistical processes that include the prison system and thus cover the entire criminal justice system. On the other hand, he stressed the importance of including municipal governments as part of the sources of information, as well as recording drug or alcohol use by offenders, thus enabling the generation of data that can be used to create early warning systems or risk factor criteria. Finally, she mentioned the importance of analyzing other related crimes, such as instigated suicide, attempted homicide, and assault. Sarika Dewan (UNODC) concluded by presenting the progress made on the MEMF Implementation Guide, asking participants to share their experiences and needs in order to consolidate it.
Session 2 focused on presenting countries' experiences in collecting data on femicides. Fiji, Senegal, and Albania made progress in classification and intersectoral collaboration, even without legal definitions. Korea presented its criminal justice system (KICCS), highlighting the need to standardize the classification of victim-perpetrator relationships to identify femicides. A workshop coordinated by David Rausis (UNODC) and Claudia Pontoglio (UNODC-KOSTAT Centre of Excellence) was then held to identify institutional roles and coordination challenges, allowing countries to share strategies for improving data integration and addressing gaps. The feasibility of integrated databases and the institutional role in data sharing were discussed.
Session 3 emphasized the need to integrate various data sources to measure femicide, beyond criminal statistics. Mar Jubero (UNFPA) highlighted the role of civil registration systems (CRVS) for accountability and the need for gender-sensitive approaches to avoid underreporting, suggesting that these sources be used in coordination with justice system institutions and statistical offices. Eugenia D'Angelo (MundoSur) presented the Latin American Map of Femicide (MLF), which combines administrative data with information from civil society organizations (CSOs), highlighting its value in capturing contextual details. She advocated for collaboration with feminist organizations, investment in open and intersectional data systems, and linking data collection with action and accountability. The session concluded by emphasizing the importance of integrating these diverse sources to strengthen the global response to femicide.
On the second day, during Session 4, the establishment of statistical processes that allow for specific characterizations of population groups was addressed, as well as the 10 criteria recommended by the framework for quantifying murders of women and girls by gender. The session, moderated by Adriana Oropeza, sought to share practices and challenges in Latin America and the Caribbean. To begin, Crismairy Jiménez (National Statistics Office of the Dominican Republic) —in coordination with Flor Bautista of the Ministry of the Interior— highlighted the participation of several institutions in the collection of data on femicide.
The country has two dissemination processes and an inter-institutional roundtable working on adapting the International Classification of Crimes for Statistical Purposes (ICCS) for 2025. Challenges include standardization, strengthening interoperability, and regional cooperation. Subsequently, Javiera Torres (National Institute of Statistics of Chile) and Esteban de la Huerta (Ministry of Security) presented Chile's institutional framework, which involves several ministries and the judiciary. The country operates two coordination mechanisms, one that has managed to consolidate a single figure on intentional homicides in accordance with the ICCS and another to characterize cases of femicide and provide care to direct victims who have survived attempted femicide and frustrated femicide, as well as indirect victims. In both cases, databases linked by common identifiers have been constructed.
This same session featured the participation of Nyamgerel Lkhamtogmid (CCCP Mongolia) and Chuluunbat Sharkhuu from the Mongolian Institute for Protection and Security Studies, who pointed out that their country faces challenges in collecting data on femicides due to fragmented data systems and the lack of a legal definition, which hinders analysis. They urged for a unified system and clear definitions. Finally, Cristina Fabre from the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) presented the results of a pilot test to measure 11 indicators related to femicides in the European Union.
In the second part of the session, Carolina Lemus and Adriana Oropeza (UNODC-INEGI Center of Excellence) led a workshop to reflect on how to shape statistical processes involving different institutions. Participants shared ideas in a plenary session, identifying practices and bottlenecks in definitions, data harmonization, and institutional collaboration. The results of this interaction made it possible to identify statistical practices that will be incorporated into the Implementation Guide.
Session 5 explored how various data sources can improve understanding of femicide within the spectrum of violence against women. Participants included Claudia Pontoglio (UNODC-KOSTAT Center of Excellence), Dwight Dyer (INEGI, Mexico), LynnMarie Sardinha (WHO), Raphaëlle Rafin (UN Women), and David Rausis (UNODC). The speakers highlighted the importance of integrating administrative data from sectors such as police, health, education, and social services, as well as from civil society organizations, to understand femicide and its causes. This intersectoral approach allows for the analysis of factors such as victim-perpetrator relationships, pregnancy, substance use, and history of abuse. A gender-sensitive perspective is essential to distinguish femicide from other homicides and to inform prevention policies and strategies. Mexico shared results from its national survey on violence against women, which examines five types of violence in the domestic, workplace, public, and other settings. This survey generated prevalence indicators that support SDG monitoring and trend analysis.
The session addressed the methodological complexities of estimating intimate partner violence, emphasizing the need for disaggregated and ethical data. Oshrat Fridman (Israel Women's Advancement Mechanism) presented an integrated data approach (government/NGO) for her violence index. Gender considerations in survey design and the importance of recording firearm use were highlighted. They concluded that victimization surveys and international guidelines are crucial for generating evidence and improving interventions against femicide.
Session 6 aimed to present national experiences in the analysis, publication, and use of data on femicide, and to identify practices, challenges, and areas for improvement to inform implementation guidance. Lehlohonolo Takalimane (Lesotho Bureau of Statistics) shared her experience in implementing a MEMF pilot in 2024 to measure femicide more accurately. The initiative included a data assessment and the use of thematic analysis to identify cases where gender motivation was not explicitly recorded.
Eva María Mera (National Institute of Statistics and Census of Ecuador) shared the country's multisectoral efforts to standardize and institutionalize data on femicide through the Special Statistical Commission. Ecuador has developed a standardized Statistical Registry of Femicide based on administrative data from various institutions. This statistical operation incorporates standardized variables and unique identifiers. This unique dataset is integrated and validated by a technical group and published through five portals and used for national reports and to coordinate reporting to the UN-CTS and the CEPAL gender observatory.
Maria Giuseppina Muratore (Italian Statistical Office) explained that she approaches femicide with a focus on prevention, protection, and prosecution, using surveys and records to statistically define the problem and identify risk factors, such as the age of the victims. The meeting participants discussed the standardization and coordination of data between institutions, seeking to translate information into concrete policy actions for prevention and victim support.
Session 7 highlighted how to use data to prevent femicide. Karla Ramírez (UN Women) showed that administrative records can generate effective policies. Laura Martinez and Eva Silva from the Spanish Ministry of the Interior presented the platforms developed to assess risks and generate alerts, and shared the challenges they face in obtaining records with adequate data quality. Alicija Serafin (Feminicide in Poland) shared her approach to mapping and legal recognition of femicide. The conclusion was that data must be actively used and inter-institutional collaboration is key to sustainable progress.
The third and final day featured Session 8, which addressed the collection and harmonization of data on femicide. Javiera Ravest (ECLAC) highlighted Latin America and the Caribbean's leadership in monitoring progress in the legislation of 18 countries and the annual report that is integrated into the Regional Observatory on Gender Equality, which includes a broad characterization of direct victims, as well as a quantification of indirect victims. David Rausis and Camelia Abdelgelil (UNODC) presented the annual data collection carried out through the UN-CTS and the use of the data to compile the femicide brief. Both organizations seek to fill existing gaps through methodological transparency and data triangulation. Participating countries highlighted challenges in consolidating and disaggregating data, emphasizing the need for inter-institutional coordination to improve the quality and consistency of information.
Finally, Session 9 focused on improving and sustaining the collection of data on femicide. Karla Ramírez (UN Women) highlighted challenges such as the alignment of national definitions and the collection of contextual data, emphasizing the need for inter-institutional coordination and the use of citizen-generated data. It was proposed to improve data collection with standardized variables, develop national capacities, and optimize the analytical use of data.
Sarika Dewan (UNODC) presented the structure of the MEMF Implementation Guide, which includes a roadmap for countries to adopt the framework, with an emphasis on preparation, evaluation, implementation, and sustainable use of data. The guide promotes institutional coordination, integration of civil society data, and ethical methodologies.
Over the course of the three-day sessions, countries shared their experiences and challenges, such as formalizing processes, data quality, and determining gender motivation. National practices and the adaptation of existing systems were highlighted. Systemic barriers such as staff turnover and the lack of legal recognition of femicide were also addressed. There was consensus on the value of the statistical framework and the Implementation Guide, with calls for continued technical assistance and shared learning platforms. The results of this session will inform the next version of the Guide and will be presented to the UN Statistical Commission.
In summary, the Global Meeting demonstrated a concerted effort to improve the measurement and prevention of this extreme form of violence. Throughout the sessions, the need to overcome data limitations by harmonizing definitions, integrating various sources of information, and strengthening inter-institutional collaboration was highlighted. Countries from Latin America, Europe, Africa, and Asia shared their progress and challenges, demonstrating the importance of adaptable approaches and the implementation of robust systems for data analysis and use. The meeting emphasized that data collection and dissemination are not ends in themselves, but crucial tools for informing policy, driving legal reform, and ensuring accountability, paving the way for effective prevention of femicide globally.
For more information about the global meeting, click here.
