According to a study by the Alas Tensas Observatory, as of August 31st gender-based crimes increased by more than 44% compared to the same period in 2025.
14ymedio, Madrid, October 2, 2026 / Idania Castillo Sacre has been added to the relentless list of femicides, which is closing one of its worst weeks of the year with three new victims. The 58-year-old woman was murdered on September 26, allegedly by her ex-partner, who found her on the street while she was preaching as a Jehovah’s Witness in the municipality of San Cristóbal, Artemisa.
According to the Alas Tensas Observatory, the attacker violently forced the woman to his home, where he murdered her. He then tried, unsuccessfully, to commit suicide and was arrested at the scene. The case is particularly striking because the alleged murderer had previously served a prison sentence for killing the mother of his children in 2010.
“These types of cases have been rarely recorded by the Alas Tensas Observatory (OGAT), but they reveal a profile of deeply misogynistic and repeat offenders, also identified in the rest of the world where femicidal violence is observed,” the organization lamented in its statement. According to its count, this murder is the 56th in Cuba, while for 14ymedio —which applies different criteria to classify it as gender-based violence—it is the 52nd.
“These types of cases have been rarely recorded by the Alas Tensas Observatory, but they show a profile of deeply misogynistic and repeat offenders, also identified in the rest of the world where femicidal violence is observed.”
Castillo had four adult children—three daughters and a son—who had no connection to the attacker, as well as several grandchildren, to whom the observatory has conveyed its condolences. The observatory has also extended its condolences to the family of the detainee’s first wife, “who, with the loss of Idania, are reliving the painful events of the past.”
The information records that so far this year there have been 27 attempted femicides and three missing women: Anais Tamayo Puente, Ana Vivian Suárez Cruz and Bárbara Sánchez González.
This Friday, the Ogat released a semi-annual report — which covers the entire period from January to August — on femicides on the island, which reached 49 by the end of that month. This figure thus equaled in just nine months the total number of femicides achieved in 2025.
The document reveals a 44.1% increase compared to the same period last year, when 34 cases were documented. With this update, the cumulative figure from 2019, when the statistics began to be compiled, until August 31, 2026, is 365 femicides.
In its analysis, the organization distinguishes between crimes involving a romantic relationship—whether ongoing or not—and all others. The vast majority, 77.6%, occurred in the former context, accounting for 38 of the 49 cases. Furthermore, it is clear that separation is the moment of greatest risk; in 25 of the cases a breakup had begun when the murder took place. “The breakup, therefore, does not necessarily mark the end of the danger. When there are threats, harassment, coercive control, or prior complaints, separation can become a critical stage requiring sustained protection measures, vigilance toward the aggressor, and material support so that the woman can reorganize her housing, caregiving, and livelihood without being left vulnerable,” the observatory emphasizes.
Another finding from the analysis is that in twelve cases there was a prior report filed, compared to nine where there wasn’t. In the remaining 28 cases, this could not be determined. A painful statistic also emerges: the majority of murders (32) occurred in a home—especially the victim’s own home or one she shared with others—which becomes a place of risk instead of the safe zone it should be. At the same time, there were ten murders right out in the street. “For a woman under threat, leaving home means finding housing, income, transportation, food, and protection for her children. But leaving the home doesn’t automatically eliminate the risk,” the observatory laments.
Gender-based violence encompasses a very wide range of ages, from a seven-year-old girl – Gabriela Herrera Rodríguez, whom 14ymedio does not classify as a victim of this type – to an 81-year-old woman
Gender-based violence affects a wide range of ages, from a seven-year-old girl—Gabriela Herrera Rodríguez, whom 14ymedio does not classify as a victim of this type—to an 81-year-old woman, Lenia Valdés Amador. However, the most affected age group is 30 to 44, with 16 cases, followed by ages 18 to 29, with 12, and ages 45 to 59, with 11. In addition, five victims were under 18, and 26 had dependent children, leaving at least 40 children or teenagers orphaned. In 88.5% of the cases, the father or stepfather was the perpetrator.
Ogat links the increase to the profound deterioration of living conditions, which in its view neither mitigate nor explain nor justify the aggressions, but act as a “multiplier of vulnerabilities,” leaving women with fewer tools to become independent and get away from their abuser.
The organization denounces, once again, the opacity of the State, which continues to fail to provide transparent information on the murders and only releases data on cases that have been tried, preventing an objective assessment of the situation.
The document concludes with a series of recommendations to the State, official organizations, and the press. It calls for greater protection, legal mechanisms, and economic and housing resources, among other things, while urging the media to properly verify cases, avoid sensationalism, moderate comments that blame the deceased, and eradicate language that presents “jealousy, arguments, age, sexuality, emotional decisions, or the victim’s behavior as an explanation for the crime.”
______________________
COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.