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FEM-UnitED to prevent femicide in Europe

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Femicide – the intentional killing of women because they are women – is not only the most extreme form of gender-based violence against women but also the most violent manifestation of discrimination against them and of gender inequality.

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Despite the magnitude of the problem, and calls by the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women, data on femicide is not systematically collected in the EU. It is a notably under-researched subject and a common definition of femicide does not exist. Furthermore, harmful attitudes, behaviours and stereotypes, as well as a lack of understanding of the gendered dynamics of intimate partner violence (IPV), impede prevention measures, including early and effective intervention.

The FEM-UnitED project aims to improve responses to IPV and domestic violence (DV) in order to reduce harm to women and children, and prevent femicide. The project aims for improved systems-wide responses to IPV/DV by creating an evidence base for raised public awareness and the fostering of multi-disciplinary cooperation and capacity building, adopting a gender-specific victim-centred approach. In other words, FEM-UnitED is about creating evidence for collaborative policy change to prevent femicide.

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FEM-UnitED will reinforce and contribute to international efforts – such as Femicide Watch Platform – by a) developing quantitative and qualitative tools that measure the prevalence of femicide and related risk factors, b) identifying gaps in system responses to IPV/DV across the partner countries, c) enacting change through systematic stakeholder engagement that will result in specific commitments for action, and d) an EU-wide awareness raising campaign on the gendered dynamics of IPV/DV related femicide.

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The FEM-UnitED partnership, coordinated by the Mediterranean Institute of Gender Studies (Cyprus), spans five EU countries and includes the University of Malta; the Cyprus University of Technology; the Institute for Empirical Sociological Research at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg; the University of Zaragoza; and the University of Porto. The project team is also comprised of advocacy NGOs and women’s specialist services including the Women’s Rights Foundation (Malta), and the UMAR – União de Mulheres Alternativa e Resposta (Portugal).

The FEM-UnitED team comprises of advisory board members and country focal points of the European Observatory of Femicide (EOF), the first European-wide network established with the aim of monitoring cases of femicide and contributing to the prevention of femicide.

Co-funded by the Rights, Equality and Citizenship (REC) Programme of the European Union.

This publication has been produced with the financial support of the Rights, Equality and Citizenship (REC) Programme of the European Union. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of the project partners and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Commission.