Since the publication of the previous edition in 2014, the Global Study on Homicide has been expanded into a special
six-booklet format, five of which are dedicated to thematic areas relevant to the study of the ultimate crime.
Booklet 1 of the Global Study on Homicide
2019 summarizes the content of the five subsequent substantive booklets by reviewing their key findings and highlighting
a set of policy implications derived from the analyses presented in them. Booklet 2 provides an overview of international homicide counts, rates, trends and patterns, and of criminal
justice responses to homicide. Booklet 3 examines
drivers and mechanisms of, and contributors to, homicide, and looks at the different homicide typologies. The latter is done
in an effort to improve understanding of the contexts in which homicide is perpetrated, as this can inform more effective
policymaking. Booklet 4 analyses the relationship
between homicide and development with reference to the Sustainable Development Goals by looking in detail at the main pillars
of development and their reciprocal relationship with homicide and violence. Booklet 5 gives an overview of the scope of gender-related killings of women and girls. It contains an
in-depth analysis of killings perpetrated within the family sphere and also examines forms of gender-related killings perpetrated
outside the family sphere. Booklet 6 deals
with the homicide of children, adolescents and young adults, and covers different types of child killings within and outside
the family.
As in previous years, the Global Study on Homicide 2019 is aimed at improving understanding of this complex phenomenon
and at providing policymakers with an updated dataset of cross-national data that evaluates the scale of homicide globally.
This booklet summarizes the content of the five subsequent substantive booklets by reviewing their key findings and highlighting
a set of policy implications derived from the analyses presented in them.
Booklet 2: Homicide: extent, patterns, trends and criminal justice response
This booklet constitutes the second part of the Global Study on Homicide 2019. It provides an overview of intentional
homicide counts, rates and trends. Starting at the global level, the analysis turns to regional, subregional and national
trends before the focus shifts to the subnational picture of homicide in selected locations where such data are available
and patterns can be identified. Urban homicide patterns and urban homicide trends are examined as are the demographics of
homicide victims and the sex of homicide perpetrators. The booklet ends with an overview of the criminal justice response
to homicide. In-depth contributions by external experts feature throughout the booklet.
Constituting the third part of the Global Study on Homicide 2019, this booklet provides an overview of the drivers
of homicide and looks at the different typologies and mechanisms of homicide perpetration. The drivers of homicide are manifold
and have to do with a number of factors: socioeconomic and environmental conditions, governance and the rule of law, political
stability, demographics, and cultural stereotypes (particularly in relation to gender roles). Homicidal violence is also influenced
by the availability of mechanisms such as firearms or sharp objects, and by the use and trafficking of psychoactive substances.
The links between homicide and socioeconomic and environmental factors, along with the ways in which these factors may drive
homicide or contribute to its containment, are analysed in booklet 4, which focuses on the interactions between homicide and
development.
Booklet 4: Homicide, development and the Sustainable Development Goals
Constituting the fourth part of the Global Study on Homicide 2019, this booklet starts by examining the relationship
between homicidal violence and level of development with reference to the Sustainable Development Goals. A macroanalysis of
the extent to which homicide rates can be explained by national levels of development is then presented. The analysis is based
on a set of models that incorporate the latest available homicide data and were designed to take into account the social and
economic factors most strongly correlated with homicide rates across countries. Comparing the homicide rate predicted on the
basis of a country's level of development with the actual homicide rate reported by that country helps to clarify how effective
development policies can be instrumental in reducing homicidal violence.
Booklet 5: Gender-related killing of women and girls
Constituting the fifth part of the Global Study on Homicide 2019,this booklet gives an overview of the scope of
gender-related killing of women and girls. It provides in-depth analysis of killings perpetrated within the family sphere
and examines forms of gender-related killings perpetrated outside the family sphere, such as the killing of women in conflict
and the killing of female sex workers. The booklet explores the scale of intimate partner/family-related killings of women
and girls, and describes different forms of gender-related killings of women. It also looks at the characteristics of the
perpetrators of intimate partner killings, the link between lethal and non-lethal violence against women, and the criminal
justice response.
Booklet 6: Killing of children and young adults
Violence against children is a multidimensional phenomenon that is often underreported; it can take many forms and is influenced
by a wide range of factors, such as the personal characteristics of the victim and perpetrator and their cultural and physical
environments. Such violence remains hidden in many instances because children are often afraid to report acts of aggression,
and also because reporting mechanisms tend to be inaccessible or even non-existent. Children may also keep silent about the
violence they suffer when it is perpetrated by parents and other family members, or by another figure of authority such as
an employer, community leader or police officer. Lethal violence against children can occur in a continuum of violence, representing
the culmination of various forms of violence that children may be subjected to in different settings. One of the targets of
Sustainable Development Goal 16 on peace, justice and strong institutions is to "end abuse, exploitation, trafficking and
all forms of violence against and torture of children".
