Firearm-Related Domestic Violence in SEE: Key Findings from 2023
The latest In Focus: Armed Violence Monitor reveals a concerning rise in firearm-related incidents of domestic violence in South East Europe (SEE) in 2023. Providing a comparative analysis with data from 2022, the Monitor highlights the severe consequences of firearm misuse in the domestic setting, particularly its disproportionate impact on women.
A total of 120 firearm incidents were reported in domestic settings in 2023, marking a 12% increase compared to the previous year. Of these, 71 cases were perpetrated by intimate partners and 49 by other family members.
The gravity of domestic violence is seen in the resulting fatalities. In 2023, firearm incidents in domestic settings led to 33 deaths, exceeding those reported in all types of incidents monitored by the Armed Violence Monitoring Platform (AVMP), including those in the criminal context, public disputes, and undetermined shootings. Although less frequent than incidents in other contexts, domestic violence cases continue to account for the highest number of firearm-related fatalities.
Of the 166 victims of firearm misuse in the context of domestic violence, 93 were women, and 59 were men.
Out of all women killed with firearms in 2023, 54% of women were killed with firearms in the context of domestic violence, mainly by their intimate partners. In the same period, one man was killed with firearms by his partner.
In cases in which perpetrators used firearms against members of their nuclear or extended family, ten men and five women lost their lives.
In 2023, men accounted for 99% of perpetrators of domestic violence involving firearms, pointing to highly gendered patterns of firearm misuse in the domestic violence setting. Perpetrators were predominantly aged between 36 and 60 when their age was known.
Handguns were the most frequently used weapon, reported in 56 incidents (43%).
Urban areas witnessed a higher frequency of firearm incidents in the domestic context (74%) compared to rural areas (26%). Homes remained the primary location for these incidents, accounting for 84% of reported cases.
More information on firearm incidents in the domestic setting in the SEE in 2023 is available here.
About the Armed Violence Monitoring Platform (AVMP)
The AVMP monitors firearms-related incidents happening in South East Europe. Established in 2014, it collects detailed data from media reports and reports of public institutions where available, covering the Western Balkans and the Republic of Moldova.
The collected data ranges from the type of incident, firearms used, age and gender of the victim and the perpetrator, outcome of the incident, etc.
The AVMP aims to make essential data available to all interested parties and serve as an informative tool for interventions with the overarching goal of a more effective arms control framework and reducing their negative impact on civilians.
The AVMP is supported with funding from the EU Council Decision (CFSP) 2019/2111 to support SEESAC disarmament and arms control activities in South-East Europe, reducing the threat of illicit small arms and light weapons and their ammunition.