Photo/Illutration The United Nations described femicide as “the most brutal and extreme manifestation of violence against women and girls,” in a report two years ago. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Stories about murders and attempted murders in the newspaper crime section point to a disturbing trend of growing gender-based violence against women.

A former romantic partner stabs a woman to death in the street.

A man murders a targeted woman after stalking her.

A man finds his ex-wife’s whereabouts and stabs her.

Learning that the number of female murder victims is on the rise globally has further disheartened me.

“Femicide” is a term that is often used when such crimes are covered by overseas media. Although the literal translation is “female killing,” it doesn’t refer to all killings of women.

The United Nations described this type of crime as “the most brutal and extreme manifestation of violence against women and girls” in a report on femicide published two years ago. It offered a standard definition of the term in order to obtain accurate data.

It is defined as intentional killings of women with a gender-related motivation connected to its root causes, such as the belief that men are superior, or killing because of the victim’s gender.

A follow-up report published last fall said, “Globally, nearly 89,000 women and girls were killed intentionally in 2022, the highest yearly number recorded in the past two decades.”

The largest percentage of femicide cases are homicides perpetrated by intimate partners and other family members. Many of these crimes are the culmination of domestic violence.

During COVID-19 lockdowns, domestic violence increased globally. It’s heartbreaking to think that these tragedies might have been avoided if victims could have escaped outside and sought help.

What’s inseparable from this category of crimes is the mindset that leads to discrimination against women. There are both conscious and unconscious gender biases, imposing stereotyped gender roles on women.

Femicide is the ultimate form of violence against women linked in an intricate way to men’s desire to dominate.

This year, Japan ranked 118th in the gender gap index, again the lowest among the Group of Seven leading democracies.

Are seeds of prejudice sprouting and taking root throughout our society? Could this be the breeding ground for these tragic incidents?

—The Asahi Shimbun, June 30

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.