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Femicide or feminicide is a term for the killing of females, often because of their gender. In 1976, the feminist author Diana E. H. Russell first implicitly defined the term as a hate killing of females by males but then went on to redefine it as "the killing of females by males because they are female" in later years. Femicide can be perpetrated by either sex but is more often committed by men. This is most likely due to unequal power between men and women as well as harmful gender roles, stereotypes, or social norms.
A spouse or partner is responsible in almost 40% of homicides involving a female victim.[1] Additionally, femicide may be underreported due to insufficient evidence.[2] Femicide often includes domestic violence and forced or sex-selective abortions.[3]
Until recently, femicide was not considered as a visible phenomenon, but awareness is gradually increasing.[4]