A/HRC/20/16 and 44 at higher risk.31 More recently, research indicates there has been an increase in the rates of killings of women.32 For instance, in Spain there has been a 15.16 per cent increase in intimate partner femicides.33 In Italy, the total number of homicides (male and female murders) is decreasing; however, female homicides increased from 15.3 per cent during 1992-1994 to 23.8 per cent during 2007-2008.34 According to data, in England and Wales in 2009/10 95 female victims of homicide were killed by a current or former partner, compared to 21 male victims of domestic homicide. 35 33. Studies in Honduras and Costa Rica show that more than 60 per cent of femicides are perpetrated by an intimate partner or male family member. 36 In Peru, 70 per cent of acts of femicide are carried out by a former or current intimate partner. 37 In Mexico, 60 per cent of the women who were murdered by their intimate or ex-intimate partners had previously reported domestic violence to public authorities.38 In some cases in Nicaragua, while the crimes were perpetrated by persons unknown to the victim, the murders were planned and paid for by the partner or ex-partner.39 34. A 2004 national study on femicide in South Africa estimated that a woman is killed by her intimate partner every six hours. 40 Of the cases in which relationship status could be established, 50.3 per cent of the women were killed by an intimate partner. Furthermore, a racial analysis indicates that women of colour are disproportionately affected by such killings. The rate for coloured women was 18.3 per 100,000 women; for African women it was 8.8, and for white women, 2.8.41 35. Statistics from the United States Department of Justice estimate that 40 per cent of female homicide victims were killed by an intimate partner in 1993, increasing to 45 per cent in 2007. An estimated 6 per cent of male homicide victims were killed by an intimate partner in 1993, decreasing to 5 per cent in 2007.42 Also, where the relationship between the victim and the murderer could be determined, over 90 per cent of the women knew the 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 Icrs-Viu, Esplugues, J.S., Marmolejo, I.I., Esteve, Y.G., and Sánchez, P.M., (2010) ―3rd International Report on Partner Violence against women‖. The data was compiled in 2006, and shows the evolution of femicides between 2000 and 2006. Chapter 2, pp. 65-99. Spinelli, B. (2011) ―Femicide and feminicide in Europe. Gender-motivated killings of women as a result of intimate partner violence‖. Expert group meeting on gender-motivated killings of women. Convened by the Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women, its causes and consequences, Ms. Rashida Manjoo, New York, 12 October 2011. Ibid. Official data collected by EURES. Homicide Index; as published in Table 1.05 of ‗Homicides, Firearm Offences and Intimate Violence 2009/10‘ at para. 280. See Carcedo, A. and M. Sagot (2001) ―Femicidio en Costa Rica. Cuando la Violencia contra las Mujeres Mata‖, San Jose: OPS/INAMU. Mel ndez, L. (2010) ―Per – Incidencia y formaci n sensible al g nero para los legisladores y operadores de justicia‖. In Jim nez, P. and K. Ronderos, (eds.) ―Feminicidio: Un fen meno global. De Lima a Madrid‖. Heinrich Böll Stiftung and CAWN. Lagarde y de los Rios, M. (2006) ―Feminicidio‖, Artículos de Ciudad de Mujeres. Paper presented at Universidad de Oviedo, 12 January 2006. Available online at www.ciudaddemujeres.com/articulos. Puntos de Encuentro (2006) ―Lo que cocinamos: II Encuentro Feminista Centroamericano”, La Boletina No. 64. Available online at www.puntos.org.ni. See Mathews S, Abrahams N, Martin L, Vetten L, van der Merwe L, and R. Jewkes, (2004) ―Every six hours a woman is killed by her intimate partner: a national study of female homicide in South Africa‖. Gender and Health Research Group, Medical Research Council Policy Brief, South Africa; 2004; 5. Ibid. Catalano, S., Smith, E., Howard, S., and M. Rand, (2009) ―Female Victims of Violence‖, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Selected Findings. U.S. Department of Justice, September 2009. Available at http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/fvv.pdf 9