Education still the key to tackle the horror of femicide | Sandra Scicluna

Dr Sandra Scicluna, Department of Criminology

Femicide has been defined by the World Health Organisation in 2012 as the killing of women because they are women, a definition that can also be extended to the killing of girls.

Looking at the murder of women over the years, one can conclude that when the murder of a woman occurs, it is more likely to be at the hands of her partner or spouse (Reckdenwald, 2010).

Such murders are usually the result of domestic violence which turns lethal.

Police data from Malta show that there were 20 female homicide victims between 2008 and 2019 (Cutajar, 2020). However another three cases have been identified via newspapers, giving a total of 23 cases. Another two women have been murdered since 2019 – one by an intimate ex-partner and the other by what seems to be a stranger. This puts the total of 25 cases of women killed between 2008 and 2022.

The data for the killing of women clearly shows that nine of the perpetrators were partners or spouses, and another four were ex-husbands or partners. This means that almost half of the cases of femicide were perpetrated by intimate or ex-intimate partners.

Another six cases were committed by relatives and only in four cases was their no prior relationship – usually the crime remains unsolved.

Calafato’s research on homicide in Malta in 2018 paints an even bleaker picture: in an almost 50-year span, 92.9% of female murders compared with 7.1% of male murders were the result of an intimate relationship gone wrong. This compares with international data where a good portion of female deaths occur by partners, compared to only about 5% of murders of male deaths occurring by their intimate partner – and this is usually the result of self-defence after ongoing violence (WHO, 2012).

We need to address the question of why this happens. Why do more females fall victims of homicide by intimate partners, or why are women often killed by men in different scenarios than man-to-man homicide?

Certain factors such as abuse during an intimate relationship or during pregnancy, the presence of a child from a previous relationship, or leaving an abusive relationship, all lead to an increased likelihood of femicide.

However not all femicide cases have a previous intimate component to them. Non-intimate femicide is when a woman is murdered following sexual aggression with no pre-existing sexual relationship. In the police data some four women had had no pre-existing relationship with the perpetrator, rendering the solving of the case more difficult – indeed, three out of these four cases remain unsolved.

On a societal level, as long as women continue to face gender-based violence, cultural violence, poverty and discrimination, femicide will continue.  In order to address or minimise the risk of femicide, society must invest in education.

Giving more educational opportunities to women reduces the risk of poverty and enables economic independence. Educating men on zero-tolerance towards violence, helps reduce the risk. Another factor is the training of police and other professionals. Police must become more empathic towards female victims of intimate partner violence. On the other hand, they must be given the appropriate structures to help these women.

Looking at past cases of femicide can teach us about what could have been done differently in each case.  We will not save all potential victims, but saving the life of one person is enough.

References

World Health Organisation (2012). Femicide.  https://bit.ly/3B7Jjdc

Calafato, T. (2018) Homicide trends in Malta from 1970-2018: First Findings.  Criminal Justice Issues: Journal of Criminal Justice and Security. Vol. XVIII.  (Issue 5-6) p.75-94.

Cutajar, C. A. (2020) Deadly affair: How does domestic femicide occur in Malta? Unpublished Masters dissertation, University of Malta