Belgium: the fight against femicides and violence against women
United Nations Western Europe
Official account: United Nations Regional Information Centre for Western Europe 🌍 Informing and engaging Europeans.
Lydia, Hélène, Maria, Eman, Mélissa… These are the names of women killed in Belgium over the past year by their partners. Globally, 51,100 women and girls were killed by their intimate partners or other family members in 2023, according to the latest report by UN Women. The report launched on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
On average, 140 women are killed daily by someone in their own family. The African region recorded the highest number of victims of intimate partner or family member femicide in 2023, with 21,700 victims, followed by Asia with 18,500, the Americas with 8,300 and Europe with 2,300 victims.
A third of the women in the EU have or have had a violent partner.
In Europe, 64% of all femicides are perpetrated by intimate partners. Although Europe reports the lowest rate of femicides globally, the UN Women report shows that the femicide rate involving intimate partners or family members has increased by 12% in Western Europe between 2010 and 2023.
In 2021, 18% of women in the European Union (EU) experienced physical or sexual violence by their partner, according to the latest study by Eurostat, published on 25 November. When psychological violence is factored in, 32% of women have or have had a violent partner in their lifetime.
What is domestic violence?
Domestic violence, and its manifestation as intimate partner violence, remains the most common form of violence experienced by women worldwide. The statistics highlight a grim reality: “Home is often the most dangerous place for women and girls”, according to UN Women.
“Domestic violence is rooted in deeply entrenched inequalities, harmful social norms and power imbalances”, explains the office of UN Women in Brussels. “Patriarchal structures and stereotypes normalise violence as a means of discipline or control, perpetuating cycles of abuse”. In this context, Belgium is no exception.
Annelies Cardon, the team coordinator for gender-based violence at the Institute for Equality between Women and Men in Belgium, explains the legal definition of domestic violence: “sexual, physical, psychological, and economic violence, coercive control, stalking and honour-related violence”.
Femicides in Belgium: lack of official data
In Belgium, there is currently no official figure for femicides. The blog Stop Feminicide, relying on news articles and police reports, indicates that 26 women were murdered in 2023 compared to 24 in 2022, and 21 so far in 2024.
On 29 June, 2023, the Chamber of Representatives unanimously approved the “Law for the prevention and combat of femicides and gender-related killings and violence.” This legislation introduced a legal definition of femicide, mandated the collection of statistical data and enhanced protections for victims of gender-based violence.
In the wake of this new law, the Institute for the Equality of Women and Men in Belgium has been tasked with compiling and publishing annual reports on femicide. Annelies Cardon describes the law as a “great step forward in Belgium”, noting that “you can already feel its effects in the different projects that are in place right now.” More attention is now being given to emerging forms of violence, such as economic and coercive control.
Marijke Weewauters, senior strategic policy advisor at the Institute, highlights a new initiative in Belgium: a mobile stalking alarm which allows victims to contact the police directly when they are in danger.
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The most vulnerable at-risk
Despite progress, the Institute acknowledges the challenges of reaching vulnerable groups most at risk of domestic violence. According to the UN Women Brussels office, “Women who suffer multiple, intersecting forms of discrimination face a higher risk and are more vulnerable to the consequences of violence. Women with disabilities, migrant backgrounds or low incomes are especially affected.”
A Eurostat study from 2021-22 found that in Belgium, nearly 1 in 2 women (45%) who were unemployed, reported poor health or faced financial hardship had experienced sexual violence from a partner.
Stopping violence before it happens
The Institute focuses mainly on prevention “when there is already a victim”, says Annelies Cardon, highlighting the initial prevention challenge, before any form of violence happens. “If we only invest in making it better once it has been worse then, as a society, we have accepted that violence exists with all its costs to the victims, to the families, to the whole of society,” states Irene Zeilinger, International Affairs Officer for Garance, a Brussels-based association focusing exclusively on what is called “primary prevention”.
Garance organises workshops for women from vulnerable communities, focusing on self-defence and safety strategies. Zeilinger shares how participants who have experienced boundary transgressions often only realise it afterwards. By teaching participants to identify manipulative or coercive behaviour early, such workshops can prevent domestic violence before it escalates.
So that what happened to Godelieve, Laurence, Ingrid, more names of victims in Belgium, never happens again.
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