This report by the Global Coalition for WHO Action on Firearm Violence argues that firearms are a critical, overlooked driver of femicide and gender-based violence globally. Drawing on evidence from Brazil, Mexico, the Western Balkans, and South Africa, it shows firearms sharply increase lethality, enable coercive control, and are underrepresented in WHO, UN Women, and Women, Peace and Security frameworks despite WHO’s existing public health mandate. Health systems often identify at-risk women before femicide occurs, but firearm removal and regulation remain inconsistently enforced. The report calls on WHO to integrate firearm risk into surveillance, clinical guidance, and prevention frameworks like RESPECT and INSPIRE, without duplicating arms-control agencies’ work.
