AT LEAST 2500 women are killed in South Africa every year - that's an average of nearly seven women a day.

Data released by the South African Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR) reveals that that an average of 2488 adult women have been murdered in South Africa a year over the past six years.

According to the SAIRR's Lerato Moloi: "Crimes of this nature have seen a slight decline over the past six years. For example, in 2007 there were 2602 adult women murdered. By 2012 that figure had come down to 2286."

She said that if the data was added to include all violent crime such as rape, assaults and other other sexual assaults, 200000 women report attack annually.

Moloi said: "The real figure is in all probability considerably higher, as anecdotal evidence suggests that reporting rates may be lower than the number of incidents taking place every year."

Research released by the Medical Research Council in August 2012 found that most women were killed by their partners.

According to the report, intimate femicide has become the leading cause of female homicide in South Africa.

The ANC Women's League said it was concerned at the high levels of femicide.

"The Medical Research Council of South Africa released a study indicating a woman is killed by her intimate partner every eight minutes in this county, a statistic that is both shocking and unacceptable.

"No woman should have to die at the hands of their romantic partner, but research indicates just over 50% of all women murdered are the result of intimate femicide."

People Opposing Women Abuse spokeswoman Nonkululeko Khumalo said Powa dealt with 7800 cases of abuse last year.

"Ninety percent of women are killed by their partners or a close family member. The conviction rate is very small with 12%. Obviously the sexual offences courts have to be brought back and with specialised focus the conviction rate will improve."

Khumalo said victims of assault were getting younger.

"We used to think that abuse was an older generation problem, but the victims are getting younger."

Moloi said data on spousal or partner assaults was difficult to come by, anecdotal evidence also suggests that many women were attacked by people they were in relationships with.

"The tragedy of this crime is that it is one of hundreds of similar incidents that play themselves out across South Africa every year."

She said the country needed well resourced rape and family violence investigators, courts dedicated to such prosecutions, and better equipped forensic science resources. - monamat@sowetan.co.za