UNITED NATIONS - An average of 140 women and girls were killed every day in 2023 by their partner or a family member, according to a UN report published on Monday.

The report, released by UN Women and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), reveals that femicide, the most extreme form of violence against women and girls, remains pervasive globally, and "the home is the most dangerous place for women and girls."

About 85,000 women and girls were killed intentionally across the world last year. Sixty percent of these deaths, or 51,100, were committed by an intimate partner or a family member, new data show.

Africa recorded the highest rates of intimate partner and family-related femicides, with an estimated 21,700 women killed, followed by the Americas and Oceania.

In Europe and the Americas, most victims were killed by their intimate partners, representing 64 percent and 58 percent of cases, respectively, while elsewhere, close family members were the primary perpetrators.

Despite efforts made in several countries to prevent the killing of women and girls, femicide "remains at an alarmingly high level", the report said.

"We see the numbers in this report as the tip of the iceberg because we know not all women's deaths are recorded and not all causes of death are accurately recorded as femicides, and there were many communities where we couldn't access any information," said Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, UN Women's deputy executive director.

Sima Bahous, UN Women executive director, said that "violence against women and girls is not inevitable -- it is preventable."

She emphasised the need for robust legislation, improved data collection, greater government accountability and a zero-tolerance culture.