UNDERSTANDING · PREVENTION · ACCOUNTABILITY
Violence against women.
Femicide, coercive control, sexual violence and the responsibility to protect.
Content note: discussion of killing and sexual violence, without graphic detail. You do not need to read every case.
Find support in Greece and EuropeWhat does femicide mean?
Femicide describes the gender-related killing of women and girls. Not every killing of a woman is automatically classified as femicide, and legal definitions vary between countries. A statistical or analytical label is not a substitute for the charges established in a court.
UN Women & UNODC · Statistical frameworkBeyond physical violence
Violence may involve sexual coercion, psychological abuse and controlling behaviour as well as physical assault. Stalking, threats and restrictions on a person’s autonomy deserve attention even when there is no visible injury. Responsibility rests with the person using violence.
WHO · Violence against womenWhat the data can tell us
UNODC and UN Women estimate that around 50,000 women and girls were killed by intimate partners or family members worldwide in 2024. This is an estimate for a defined year, not a live counter. Gaps in reporting make comparisons and trend claims difficult.
UNODC & UN Women · Femicides in 2024From recognition to protection
Prevention requires coordinated services, timely risk assessment and access to justice and support. Human-rights cases examine state duties; criminal proceedings determine individual criminal responsibility. The summaries below are educational, not legal advice for an individual case.
Council of Europe · Relevant judgmentsCases in Greece and beyond
Greece · Rhodes
Eleni Topaloudi: remembering a life, examining accountability
Eleni Topaloudi was a 21-year-old university student who was raped and killed on Rhodes in 2018. Her case became a focal point in Greece’s public discussion of femicide and sexual violence.
Appeal judgment reported · 20 May 2022Greece · Agioi Anargyroi
Kyriaki Griva: seeking protection must lead to safety
Kyriaki Griva, aged 28, was killed outside a police station in Agioi Anargyroi on 1 April 2024, after going there to report abusive behaviour.
Trial judgment reported · 29 July 2025Greece · European Court of Human Rights
X v. Greece: the duty to investigate sexual violence
A human-rights judgment about an investigation is different from a criminal verdict against an accused person. X v. Greece illustrates why that distinction matters.
ECHR judgment · application 38588/21Türkiye · European Court of Human Rights
Opuz v. Turkey: domestic violence as discrimination
Domestic violence is not simply a private dispute outside the responsibility of the state. This landmark judgment examined failures to protect a woman and her mother from repeated violence.
ECHR judgment · 9 June 2009Italy · European Court of Human Rights
Talpis v. Italy: the consequences of delayed protection
Elisaveta Talpis sought help for domestic violence before an attack in which her son was killed and she survived an attempted murder.
ECHR judgment · application 41237/14IN CONVERSATION
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