Yinet Labañino Acosta was murdered on Monday, 8 December, in her own home.
14ymedio, Havana, 12 December 2025 — A new femicide was added on Thursday to the wave of gender-based murders in recent weeks, bringing the total to 42 in 2025, according to the independent count carried out by 14ymedio, in the absence of official information. On this occasion, according to confirmation from the feminist platforms Yo Sí Te Creo en Cuba and the Alas Tensas Gender Observatory, the victim is a 40-year-old teacher, Yinet Labañino Acosta, who was murdered on Monday, 8 December, in her own home, located in the town of Cabacú, municipality of Baracoa, in the province of Guantánamo.
According to both organisations, the alleged perpetrator not only took Labañino’s life, but also that of her husband, in an incident they classify as “gender-based murder of a man”, motivated by “issues related to machismo and misogyny”. The crime leaves two minor daughters orphaned of both their mother and father.
This is the third gender-based murder confirmed in the country so far this month. On 5 December, teenager Heidi García Orozco was stabbed to death by her boyfriend at her home in Jovellanos, Matanzas.
This was followed on 7 December by the death of Elianne Reyes Gómez, 26, mother of a young girl, who was murdered by her partner in her own home in Madruga, Mayabeque.
Yinet Labañino’s is the third gender-based murder confirmed in the country so far this month.
The previous weeks were also marked by violence. On 30 November, 46-year-old Rosa Idania Ferrer Pérez was murdered by her partner in the province of Cienfuegos. At the end of that same month, Niyu del Carmen López Morales was admitted to a hospital in Havana after being assaulted by her ex-partner.
Cuba is currently among the countries with the highest rates of femicide in Latin America, according to studies, with 1.4 murders per 100,000 women.
The seriousness of the situation has led organisations and activists to insist on the need for a comprehensive law on gender-based violence, as well as shelters for women at risk, effective protection protocols and transparency from the state regarding its statistics. They have also called for a state of emergency to be declared due to gender-based violence in Cuba.
For the time being, according to specialists, the effective implementation of the Victims’ Care Act could offer clearer tools for the protection, support and redress of those facing situations of serious violence on the island, although feminicide is not classified as a crime in the Cuban Penal Code.
Organisations and activists insist on the need for a comprehensive law on gender-based violence
An office to advise victims of gender-based violence was recently opened in Havana, created by the National Organisation of Collective Law Firms with the support of the Canadian Embassy and the United Nations Population Fund.
A national registration and monitoring system was also approved and an official prevention campaign was announced. However, activists and relatives of victims consider these measures to be insufficient in the face of the sustained increase in cases.
Translated by GH
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