In 2022, Spain recorded 34 femicides that fall outside the partner or former partner category. Every case involved men who knew the victims, with a majority of killers being relatives of the murdered individuals.
The Government Delegation Against Gender-Based Violence released the annual statistics on non-partner femicides, with the Ministry of Equality presenting this data for the first time for a complete year.
Sexual, social and non-partner femicide
More than half of these killings, 21 cases, involved family members. They included mothers slain by their children, grandmothers harmed by grandchildren, daughters killed by fathers, aunts by nephews, mothers-in-law by sons-in-law, a woman killed by her brother-in-law, and another instance linked to a husband’s uncle.
In four out of ten non-spousal femicides, the victims were children who took the lives of their mothers. In 42.9% of these family-related crimes, the victim lived with the aggressor.
After family relations, the second largest category was social femicide: nine women were killed by a neighbor, a roommate, or another acquaintance.
Also reported were four sexual femicides in 2022: two victims were 14 years old, and the other two were minors in vulnerable situations and tied to prostitution.
While domestic murders accounted for 61.8% of all cases, social murders represented 26.5% and sexual murders 11.8%.
By age, most attackers were between 31 and 40 years old (26.8%), with a notable share aged 51 to 60 (20.6%). Among the victims, 44% were over 60.
After these incidents, 17.6% of attackers died by suicide.
understatement
Victoria Rosell, the Government Delegate Against Gender Based Violence, noted that the issue is underreported. Only 3 of the 34 cases had prior complaints, representing 8.9% of the total.
For the first time, the Equality ministry published the number of non-couple femicides for a full year of 2022, adding data on femicides “by men because of machismo or misogyny.” Femicides involving couples or ex-spouses have been tracked since 2003, totaling 1,194 deaths, and the database will continue as an independent statistic.
The new statistics categorize femicide into four groups: family, sexual, social (perpetrated by a man with no emotional or family ties to the victim, such as friends, neighbors, co-workers, bosses, or strangers), and indirect (committed in contexts that harm another woman).
help resources
The information line HE 016 serves victims of all forms of violence against women. It is a free, confidential number available in 53 languages and does not appear on a bill. Information is also provided via email and counseling plus psychosocial support via messaging platforms. Additionally, minors can contact specialized support services for underage victims. Resources for people who are deaf or hard of hearing include dedicated lines and assistive services, ensuring access to help for all.
These resources form a network dedicated to preventing gender-based violence and supporting those affected, with multiple channels designed to be reachable across different needs and circumstances.