The Global Femicide Legislation Index

Methodology & provenance

How this index reads the law

Carol Orlock coined the term femicide in 1974. Diana Russell then popularized the concept at the 1976 International Tribunal on Crimes Against Women in Brussels. This index documents national legislation that criminalizes femicide. Coverage includes laws naming femicide directly, and laws applying gender-specific aggravating factors to general homicide law.

A jurisdiction is Enacted when its criminal code recognizes femicide. Recognition can take two forms: explicit naming, or a distinct aggravating circumstance. Some statutes cover the substantive offence without using the term femicide itself. Where this applies, the law name notes it. Pending status indicates legislation that lawmakers have introduced but not yet enacted.

Each entry draws on primary legislative sources where available. Secondary verification also draws on the World Bank, BBC, the Hill Times, and the European Parliamentary Research Service. Detailed source attribution appears in each card and in the footnote. Finally, we update the index whenever a jurisdiction enacts or amends relevant legislation.