46% of women across the Caribbean have faced at least one form of violence in their life time according to the UN Women Global Database on VAWG. 

However, femicide is often underreported and under-analyzed in the region - according to Heron due to gaps in data collection, gaps in addressing cases of domestic violence in the court systems, under-reporting to law enforcements and inconsistencies in media coverage.

Although the analysis of local and regional media reports was anything but an ideal method, Taitu Heron showed that her research  provided valuable insights into individual cases and a statistical approximation.

On the methodology: Heron used the International Classification of Crime for Statistical Purposes (ICCS) framework. She developed disaggreated variables to develop victim profiles, perpetrator traits and relationship to victim, the circumstances of the killings and how the women died.

• 76% of cases involved current partners, 11% ex-partners, and 10% other family members, meaning that women are at most risk of femicide from the people closest to them.

•  The most common types of femicide, in order of frequency, was domestic violence/IPV; sexual assault and brutal killings; murder suicide; and public murder.

• 54% of the victims were women in their 20s and 30s.

•  The most common method (44%) was stabbing, which was particularly prevalent in Jamaica.

•  62% of all victims were mothers.

•  Most of the perpetrators had a history of violence or controlling behaviour.

Among other recommendations, Heron suggested to:

•  make femicide a distinct legal offence in Caribbean legislation

•  provide a clear legal category for femicide 

•  enhance data collection, for better reporting, policies, law reforms or interventions

•  improve police and judicial responses

•  increase resources for victim support services

•  address intersectional needs

Specific femicide laws and domestic violence reforms could:

•  ensure that gender-motivated killings are treated with the severity they deserve

•  help prevent violence from escalating to the point of femicide

•  provide comprehensive protection for women and address root causes of gender-based violence

Why are the UN Women data higher than the actual reported cases?

The UN Women VAWG Data Hub is focusing on the lifetime prevalence of VAWG and thus does not reflect individual cases. 

What are the chances that Caribbean governments will move forward in terms of legislation?

They are not starting from scratch. Scholars have provided definitions, there is no lack of discourse and conceptual routes. The UN Women Data Hub is also a good indicator of the progress of legislative reforms made over the years.

How can juidicial officers better identify escalations and violence?

First, we need to increase the sensitivity of police offers when a woman reports about violence, at a police station for example. It also requires better police capacities to follow up on a report.

What role do CSOs and women's rights organizations play in reducing femicide across the Caribbean?

The fight against femicide is a multi-layered effort. It includes the community level all the way down to individual households. Schools also play an important role as they can help train girls. 

What do you do when you hear of femicide cases but you are unable to verify because no one has adequate data and details on the victim?

Unfortunately, you would have to leave these cases out (i.e. you cannot count them as femicide cases), as you need to make a clear distinction between regular homicide and femicide. One solution may be to look for official statistics. In general, the UN Women / ICSS is a good framework to start with. 

For further questions, you can reach Taitu at tamah_consulting (at) outlook.com