Ugandan Rebecca Cheptegei, victim of gender-based violence

United Nations, Sep 5 (PL) The United Nations (UN) today condemned the death of Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei as a result of burns caused by her partner in an attack.

UN Secretary General António Guterres' spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric, called it a confirmation of a much larger and all too often ignored problem.

Every 11 minutes on average, a woman or girl is killed by an intimate partner or family member somewhere, the spokesman said, citing figures from UN Women and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime.

“Gender-based violence is one of the most frequent human rights violations in the world and must be treated as such,” Dujarric further claimed.

The fact was also condemned by entities such as the United Nations Population Fund and the agency dedicated to gender equality, UN Women.

The agency's spokesperson urged to close the gaps and guarantee security and justice for women.

“We live in a male-dominated culture that leaves women vulnerable by denying them inequality, dignity and rights. We all pay the price. Our societies are less peaceful, our economy is less prosperous and our world is less just,” she said in quoting Guterres.

The Olympic athlete died this morning at the age of 33 in a Kenyan hospital where she was being treated after 80 percent of her body was burned in an attack by her partner.

Cheptegei competed in the women's marathon at the Paris Olympics less than a month before the attack.

Her family as well as numerous sports figures and institutions demanded justice for the runner.