Descriptive Study of Female Homicides in the City of Barcelona (1986-2020)

Abstract

Female homicide represents the most extreme manifestation of violence against women and requires a comprehensive approach for its detection and prevention. This study presents a retrospective medico-legal analysis of female homicides in the city of Barcelona between 1986 and 2020. A total of 205 cases were analyzed. The average homicide rate was 0.68 per 100,000 women (ranging from 0.24 to 2.01). Most victims were between 27 and 59 years (52%), and nearly half of the cases occurred in the victim’s home (49%). Information about the alleged perpetrator was available in a subset of cases (27%); among these, 62.5% were relatives, and 57% were current or former intimate partners. In 35% of these cases, the perpetrator died by suicide after the homicide. The most common mechanism of homicide was sharp-force trauma (37%). A higher proportion of cases occurred during the summer months (37.3%). Although the rate of female homicide in Barcelona is relatively low, these deaths represent a significant public health, social, and forensic concern, highlighting the need for interdisciplinary approaches to prevention and case analysis.