Femicide and its social implications: A light on children of murdered women

Femicide was defined in 1992 as “the killing of women committed by a man by virtue of the fact that they are women, emphasizing the social aspects of the violent act.” The new uniform definition for femicide is “the killing of a woman by an intimate partner and death of a woman as a result of a practice that is harmful to women. Intimate partner is understood as former or current spouse or partner, whether or not the perpetrator shares or has shared the same residence with the victim.” Risk factors for IPF are physical violence against the victim, imminent separation, stepchild in the household, alcoholism, drug abuse, mental health problems and unemployment. The most important implication of femicide are the “secondary victims,” the orphaned children.