In the Dominican Republic, 89 victims of feminicide were registered in 2024, a rate of 1.5% per 100,000 women, a higher figure than the previous year when 69 women were murdered by their partner or ex-partner, according to a report released this Thursday by the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef).
In its study, Unicef warns that in Santo Domingo 31.5% of Dominican women between 20 and 24 years old were married or in a union before the age of 18, and 9.4% before the age of 15 (2019).
physical violence and/or sexual activity by an intimate partner against women aged 15 to 49 years recorded a prevalence of 28.5% throughout life and 22.8% in the last 12 months, according to data from the World Health Organization (WHO) corresponding to 2025 cited in the report.
«Each feminicide forever disrupts the lives of their sons and daughters and violates their right to grow up in safe, protective and violence-free family environments,” warned the interim representative of Unicef in the Dominican Republic, Anyoli Sanabria.
The diplomat said that her organization works with the Dominican authorities and community organizations to strengthen systems of prevention, detection and response to violence.
The organization promotes training for families, teachers and technical staff; supports the creation of comprehensive routess of attention; and promotes legal reforms that guarantee safe environments for all children and adolescents, Sanabria assured.
«The Dominican Republic can still reaffirm its commitment to the elimination of violence within the family by reviewing the exception that remains in the Penal Code and that allows physical punishment as a form of discipline in the home,” considered the Unicef representative in Santo Domingo.
In that order, He added that physical violence in the family is usually the first step towards the femicides that claim so many lives in Dominican society.
«With will and action, it is still possible to transform this reality and guarantee effective protection for the children, adolescents and women of the country,” said Sanabria.
He urged the Dominican Government to coordinate and expand inter-institutional strategies to address violence simultaneously, including supporting organizations led by women and girls.
Besides, expand survivor-centered services, guaranteeing access to protection against violence, personal security, specialized medical care and family support.
