Jakarta – The National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) predicts a rising trend in intimate partner femicide.

The term intimate femicide, or intimate partner/family member femicide, refers to gender-motivated killings of women, committed by their partner or former partner, including husband or boyfriend.

In the 2023 Annual Report, Komnas Perempuan documented 159 cases of femicide, with the most common type being intimate partner femicide. Commissioner of Komnas Perempuan, Siti Aminah Tardi, said the commission currently analyzes the femicide trend throughout 2024.

"Based on online media monitoring since 2017, it is predicted that femicide by intimate partners will continue to dominate femicide cases this year," said the commissioner, nicknamed Ami, to Tempo on Tuesday, November 26, 2024.

In 2024, Komnas Perempuan noted that the general public has accepted the term "femicide" to illustrate the differences between the killings of women due to their gender and common murder.

The widespread use of the term and public discussions about femicide, Ami said, will help raise public awareness about this most extreme manifestation of violence against women.

"We also hope for a response from the government to document, prevent, and enforce the law against femicide, as well as the recovery process for the victim's family," said Ami.

Jakarta Feminist, a community focusing on gender equality and gender-based violence, revealed that the majority of perpetrators of femicide have close relationships with the victims.

Program Officer of Jakarta Feminist, Nur Khofifah, underscored the personal relations between the perpetrators and the victims in the majority of femicide cases.

She detailed that out of 180 femicide cases studied throughout 2023, 69 victims had intimate relationships with perpetrators, emphasizing the strong presence of power dynamics while examining femicide motives.

In the 2023 femicide data report, Jakarta Feminist mentioned that the majority of killings occurred because the perpetrators, as partners or the "heads of the family," felt bothered by the victims' "opinions or attitudes."

Case studies by Jakarta Feminist referred to a femicide case in Merangin, Jambi, where a woman was found decomposed in a garden on August 31, 2023. The Merangin Police named the woman's husband as a suspect. The husband admitted to killing his wife out of jealousy and could not accept that his advice was disregarded by the victim.

The Jakarta Feminist also underscored that ending intimate relationships does not stop women from being the target of femicides. For example, the community mentioned that a man in Cirebon stabbed his former wife nine times after his proposal for reconciliation was rejected.

"When a relationship has ended, it does not mean that the victim will be free from the vulnerability of becoming a femicide victim," stated the 2023 femicide data report.

– Dian Rahma Fika contributed to the writing of this article.

Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/1945757/komnas-perempuan-predicts-rising-trend-of-intimate-partner-femicid