AKIPRESS.COM - More than half of female homicide victims worldwide – 137 every day – were killed by a member of their own family last year, according to a new United Nations study.

Research published by the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) found that of the approximately 87,000 women and girls intentionally killed in 2017, about 58 percent died at the hands of someone who was either an "intimate partner" or a relative.

This amounts to six women being killed every hour by people they know, the report said. It was released Sunday to coincide with the U.N. International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. The campaign brought thousands of people to the streets of nations around the globe to raise awareness of gender-based violence.

Yury Fedotov, the UNODC's executive director, noted that although the majority of worldwide homicide victims are men – accounting for eight out of 10 homicides in 2017 – women bear the greatest burden in terms of violence perpetrated by intimate partners.

In 2017, roughly 82 percent of victims of homicide perpetrated by intimate partners or family members were female. The corresponding figure for men: 18 percent.

The majority of male victims are killed by strangers.

"Women continue to pay the highest price as a result of gender inequality, discrimination and negative stereotypes," Fedotov said. "Targeted criminal justice responses are needed to prevent and end gender-related killings."