Study: Killings by partners the leading form of femicide in Germany

A major study on femicide in Germany has found that intimate partner violence is by far the most common form of gender-based killing of women and girls.

The study, presented by the University of Tübingen on Thursday, examined 292 cases registered as femicide or attempted femicide across five German states in 2017.

Femicide is defined as the killing of women and girls due to their gender. The term covers murder by former and current partners, honour killings, targeted killings during armed conflicts, female infanticide and various other forms of gender-based violence.

Researchers examined interrogation transcripts, expert reports, indictments and judgements to assess whether the cases represented femicide. They found that 197 of the 292 cases analysed would be classified as femicide.

According to the study, by far the most common type of femicide is linked to intimate partners, with 108 of the 133 murders (81%) involving killings by men in heterosexual relationships.

In most cases, researchers found that the motive for the crime was a separation, infidelity or the killer's fear of either.