147 victims of femicide were registered in 2022

The National Institute of Statistics and Informatics (INEI) informed that during the year 2022 were registered at national level 147 femicides, higher figure in 6 cases compared to the registered in the year 2021. This represents at least three violent deaths of women based on gender each week, this was detailed in document “Peru: Femicide and Violence against Women, 2015 – 2022”. The femicide rate for each 100 thousand women reached to 0.9 percentage point. During the period 2015-2022, the victims of femicide reached to 1,045 women.

The document was prepared within the framework of the Inter-institutional Statistical Committee on Crime (CEIC) which presides the National Institute of Statistics and Informatics (INEI) and is also integrated by The Judiciary of Peru, Attorney General's Office, Ministry of the Interior, National Police of Peru, Ministry of Justice and Human Rights and the National Penitentiary Institute.

Working together they stablished agreed and standardized methodology to determine the cases of femicide through a contrastable, classification and validation process, getting a unique database of femicides.

The publication incorporates also figures of violence against women, from the Demographic and Family Health Survey (ENDES), continuous research that executes the INEI and information from National Penitentiary Institute (INPE) of prison population imprisoned for femicide.

The presentation of the publication “Peru: Femicide and Violence against Women, 2015 - 2022” was in charge of the Chief of the INEI, Mr. Dante Carhuavilca Bonett, who was accompanied by Mrs. Nancy Tolentino, Minister for Women’s Affairs and Vulnerable Populations, Mrs. María Eugenia Mujica, Assistant Representative of the United Nations Population Fund – UNFPA Peru, Mrs. Alejandra Valdés, senior researcher of the Division of Gender Affairs of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and Mrs. Miosotis Rivas Director General of the National Statistical Office of the Dominican Republic and Chair of the Statistical Conference of the Americas (SCA)- ECLAC.

From the total of femicide victims, 44.2% were under the age of 30 years old, from which the 34.7% were between 18 to 29 years old and 9.5% were under the age of 18 years old. Meanwhile, 24.5% were 30 to 39 years old, 17.7% were 40 to 49 years old, 6.8% were between 50 to 59 years old and 6.8% were older adults of 60 years old and older. According to nationality, 95.2% (140) of the victims of femicide were Peruvians.

During the year 2022, the department of Madre de Dios reported the highest rate of femicide by reaching 2.5 for each 100,000 women; followed by Apurímac with 1.9, Cusco 1.9, Ancash 1.7, Huancavelica 1.7, Puno 1.6, Amazonas 1.4, Arequipa 1.4, Huánuco 1.3, Provinces of Lima 1.3, Cajamarca 1.2 and Tacna 1.1.

In absolute figures, Lima Metropolitan area reported 37 femicides, figure that represented the 25.2% of those that were registered during the year. A lower number were registered in Cusco with 13, Arequipa 11, Puno and Ancash with 10 each one, Cajamarca 9, La Libertad 7 and 6 in Provinces of Lima. While, in Ayacucho, in the Constitutional Province of Callao and in Ucayali reported one femicide, in each one.

During the period 2015-2022, the greater quantity of femicides took place in Lima Metropolitan area with 257 cases, in which the district of San Juan de Lurigancho registered the greater quantity (24), followed by San Martín de Porres and Villa Maria del Triunfo (19 each one), Ate and San de Miraflores (17 each one) and Comas (16).

During the year 2022, 27.9% of the victims of femicide died by the hand of their partner/live-in-partner, 15.6% by the boyfriend, 15.0% by the former partner or former live-in-partner, 9.5% by the former boyfriend and 3.4% by the husband. These percentages that show that the occurrence of this crime happens in a love relationship or when it had ended. Meanwhile, 2.7% was victim of an acquaintance male/female, 0.7% other relatives, 0.7% unknown male/female person, 2.7% other person and 21.8% does not specify.

According to the place of occurrence, 38.8% of the femicides happened in the household of the victim, 15.6% in a desolate place or open field, 14.3% on a public road (avenue, street, highway, trail, park or other), 8.8% in a hostel, 8.2% in the household of the alleged assassin, 2.7% in the river, sea, cliff, ditch, channel or other and 1.4% in a household of a family member, vehicle, commercial premise, work place or other place.

According to the way or means used to commit the femicide, in 23.1% of the cases were by strangulation, chocking or drowning, 20.4% using knives or cutting blades, 13.6% with a blunt object, 10.9% was committed with a firearm, 3.4% through toxic substances or poisoning, 2.7% by precipitation or fall, 1.4% action of direct fire, among other ways.

49.5% of femicides were committed by jealous, 15.4% by family violence, 7.7% by supposed infidelity of the partner, 7.7% by the negative of the victim to continue with the relation, 5.5% by revenge, 5.5% by negative of the victim to return with the couple, 3.3% by economic problems, 2.2% by sexual abuse, 1.1% to facilitate or to hide other crime, among other causes.

As of the year 2022, at national level 755 persons are imprisoned in a penitentiary facility by the crime of femicide. According to sex, 98.9% are men and 1.1% are women. According to the civil state, 44.5% were live in partner, 41.6% were single, 9.8% were married, 2.4% were separated, 1.2% were divorced and 0.5% were widow.

According to age group, 60.4% of the prisoners by femicide were 18 to 30 years old, from which, 20.3% are between 35 to 39 years old, 18.5% are between 30 to 34 years old, 15.1% are between 25 to 29 years old, 6.1% are between 20 to 24 years old and 0.4% are between 18 to 19 years old. Meanwhile, 13.5% of the prisoners for committed this crime are between 40 to 44 years old, 10.9% are between 50 to 59 years old, 9.4% are between 45 to 49 years old and 5.8% are older adults of 60 years old and older.

According to the legal situation of the prisoners by femicide, 59.7% were sentenced and 40.3% were in condition of defendants.

During the year 2022, the Women's Emergency Centers (WEC) of the Ministry of Women and Vulnerable Populations, attended 154 thousand 202 persons affected by family violence; of which 43.2% were attended by psychological violence, 38.6% by physical violence, 17.7% by sexual violence and 0.5% by economic violence.