On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, 25 November, the report Femicides in 2023: Global Estimates of Intimate Partner/Family Member Femicides by UN Women and UNODC reveals that one woman or girl is killed every 10 minutes by their intimate partner or family member. Every day, countless women lose their lives, not to war or natural disasters, but simply because they are women. This phenomenon raises a question: why is the world still silent?
In this regard, violent extremism flourishes in the same spaces where gender inequality and violence exist. Extremist ideologies often leverage patriarchal norms to maintain power, using women as tools in their campaigns of terror. In many extremist-affected areas, women face distinct forms of violence, ranging from honor killings as well as forced marriages, practices that are deeply rooted in the same patterns of thinking that allow for female killings.
However, regardless of its undeniable connection to violent extremism, femicide has rarely appeared in global efforts to Prevent and Counter Violent Extremism (PCVE). This absence not only weakens our strategies to combat extremism but also denies justice and security to the most marginalized women. In this sense, the author attempts to explore why integrating feminism into PCVE is not only important, but also urgent for justice, security, and the future of our lives.
What is Femicide?
In 1992, in the first anthology published on femicide with Russell, Radford defines the word as the misogynous killing of women by men, motivated by hatred, contempt, pleasure or a sense of ownership of women, thus to be investigated in the context of the overall oppression of women in a patriarchal society (Radford, 1992). In the context of gender-based violence, femicide is often driven by deeply internalized patriarchal ideologies that view women as inferior and disposable. These ideologies are often co-opted by extremist groups to drive recruitment, normalize violence, and perpetuate cycles of hatred and oppression against women.
The Intersections of Femicide and Violent Extremism
Femicide as extreme gender-based violence in the patriarchal norms, a well-embedded societal disease, provides a dangerous foundation for extremist ideologies. Prominent scholars such as Valerie Hudson and Farida Shaheed have drawn interesting connections between gender inequality and the rise of extremism. Hudson, in her ground-breaking book Sex and World Peace, claims that societies with high levels of violence against women are more likely to be vulnerable to volatility and extremism. She also highlights how gender-based violence acts as a predictor of broader social conflict. Farida Shaheed, former UN Special Rapporteur, also pointed out that extremist movements systematically target women to affirm control, associating violence with power and domination.
This insight was confirmed by terrifying statistics. UN Women reports that in 2021, around 81,000 women worldwide were killed, with more than half being victims of partner or family violence. Extremist groups have been exploiting such environments, transforming cultural acceptance of gender violence into a recruitment strategy. Normalizing violence against women becomes a gateway to more radical acts of oppression.
In regions affected by violent extremism, such as the Middle East, South Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa, femicide rates are disproportionately high, often exacerbated by ongoing conflict and the rise of extremist ideologies. For example, in countries like Afghanistan and Syria, where extremism has flourished, femicide is not only common but often part of the broader strategies used by militant groups to control women and intimidate the general population. A 2020 report from the United Nations Security Council found that in conflict zones where extremism takes root, gender-based violence rates, including femicide escalate rapidly, as violence becomes a tool of political and ideological dominance (UN Security Council, 2020).
Education: A Catalyst for Preventing Femicide within PCVE Frameworks
To tackle the problem of femicide, it is crucial to start with prevention, an approach that begins with education. We might begin to eliminate the root causes that allow violent extremism to flourish by implementing programs that target destructive beliefs that include toxic masculinity and gender stereotypes. Community-based education initiatives, such as the “Masculinity and Violence Program” in Kenya, have proven successful in changing attitudes towards women and violence, which shows the power of early intervention. Research by Barker (2015) highlights that youth education plays an essential role in dismantling the gendered aspects of extremism. By educating young people to reject these dangerous norms, we can work toward a future where gender equality is the norm, and violence against women, including female killing, is no longer accepted.
Protection strategies are not just about keeping women safe, they are about giving them a sense of dignity and the right to live without fear. Creating safe spaces for women is an important step in ensuring their physical and emotional well-being. Shelters and community monitoring programs both assist those facing violence and the threat of extremism. However, protection is more than just physical safety. Protection also means providing access to justice, especially for women in conflict areas where killings of women are common. When we truly listen to women’s experiences and amplify their voices, we show them that they are valued, their stories matter, and their safety is not negotiable. Through these efforts, we can break the cycle of patriarchal violence and prevent extremism from being rooted in society.
