In Focus Armed Violence Monitor: More People were Killed with Firearms in Context of Domestic Violence than in any Other Context; Women are Disproportionally Affected
SEESAC's most recent In Focus Armed Violence Monitor centres around firearm incidents in the context of domestic violence in South East Europe (SEE), covering the period 2019-2021.
By providing an overview of firearm-related incidents committed by intimate partners and other close family members, the Monitor sheds light on firearms in the domestic setting and its disproportionate consequences on women, particularly in the context of intimate partner violence.
249 firearm incidents in the context of domestic violence were reported in SEE in 2019-2021, of which 149 were committed by intimate partners and 100 by other family members.
The severity of domestic violence from 2019 to 2021 is reflected in the number of firearm-related fatalities documented by the AVMP. 101 firearm-related deaths in the context of domestic violence were reported in the said period, which exceeded the number of fatalities resulting from any other type of incident covered by the AVMP, including those in the criminal context, public disputes, and undetermined shootings. This is even more worrying keeping in mind the number of recorded incidents in the domestic setting was significantly lower than in other contexts, the fatalities were either higher or equal.
Out of 318 victims of firearm misuse in the context of domestic violence, sex was reported for 302 victims, of whom 192 (64%) were women, and 110 (36%) were men.
77% of women were killed with firearms in the context of domestic violence, out of all women killed with firearms in 2020.
57% of women were killed by their male intimate partner. In the same period, two men were killed with firearms by their partners.
In cases in which perpetrators used firearms against members of their nuclear or extended family, 28 men and 12 women died, 18 men and three women were injured, 23 men and eight women were threatened.
From 2019 to 2021, 249 (97%) men and seven (3%) women committed firearm incidents in the context of domestic violence, clearly documenting highly gendered patterns of firearm misuse in the domestic violence setting. When the age was known, perpetrators were mainly aged 36-60.
Handguns were the most used weapons, being reported in nearly 50% (106) of all incidents.
Firearm incidents in the domestic context in urban areas (171 or 69%) were more frequently reported than those in rural areas (78 or 31%).
159 incidents (83%) occurred at homes.
To read the report, please click here.
More data on firearms incidents in South East Europe is available on the Armed Violence Monitoring Platform.
About the Armed Violence Monitoring Platform (AVMP)
The Armed Violence Monitoring Platform (AVMP) has been established by SEESAC with EU funding within the framework of EU Council Decision (CFSP) 2016/2356 and is currently supported through EU Council Decision (CFSP) 2019/2111, in support of SEESAC disarmament and arms control activities in South-East Europe. It captures data on firearm-related incidents happening in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, North Macedonia, Kosovo* and the Republic of Moldova with the purpose of making essential data available to all interested parties working on small arms and light weapons control.
The data is gathered daily from the relevant authorities' official websites, as well as print and online media. The collected data range from the type of incident, firearms used, age and gender of the victim and the perpetrator, outcome of the incident, etc. Basic data analysis is also provided for various data sets aiming to discover trends related to the incidents.
*References to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999).