Accelerating Global Action against Gender Based Violence and Femicide: A Policy Roadmap for G20 Leadership and Beyond

Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) remain a pervasive and escalating global crisis affecting women and girls globally. According to the World Health Organization, one in three women experiences physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner or non-partner during their lifetime. Prevalence rates within the G20 reveal stark disparities, ranging from 13% in some European countries, including Spain and Austria, to alarming highs of 36% in the United States and 38% in Türkiye. The scale of the problem is staggering: In 2023, an estimated 51,100 women and girls worldwide lost their lives due to intimate partner or family violence, with Africa exhibiting the highest femicide rates, followed by the Americas, Oceania, Asia, and Europe. Given South Africa’s chairing of the G20 G20 Empowerment of Women Working Group in 2025, this policy brief calls for renewed leadership to leverage previous commitments and scale impactful interventions. It urges the adoption of inclusive, survivor-centered, data-driven strategies that integrate prevention, justice reforms, and economic empowerment to usher in a new era of gender equality and safety for all women.