Criminological and victimological characteristics of femicide in Serbia and social response

Violence against women, including domestic and intimate partner violence, is a serious violation of human rights and a public health issue, resulting in a wide range of psychological, physical, economic, and social consequences. The most severe form of violence against women is femicide. Femicide refers to “gender-based killing,” i.e., the intentional killing of a woman because she is a woman. The most common form of femicide occurs in domestic and intimate partner contexts. According to the World Health Organization data, about 38% of women killed globally are victims of partner homicide (WHO, 2017). Global studies show that women represent approximately 20% of all homicide victims worldwide, but nearly half of those killed in domestic and intimate partner contexts, and as many as 66% of all victims of partner homicides (UNODC & UN Women, 2023; UNODC, 2023). In Serbia, according to available data, the number of women killed by partners or other family members has remained relatively stable over the years, despite significant legislative and institutional reforms. Based on this, the paper aims to analyse certain criminological and victimological characteristics of femicide and critically examine the existing mechanisms of social response to violence against women in general, and femicide in particular. The research is based on an analysis of femicide data in Serbia available in the Femicide Memorial database, maintained by the Autonomous Women’s Centre. The analysis covers a ten-year period (2014–2023). The conclusion offers proposals for potential prevention and reduction of femicide, particularly those cases resulting from prolonged abuse of women.