Cuba Closes 2024 With Fewer Femicides but More Children Orphaned for This Reason

The number of femicides on the Island exceeds the 47 recorded in Spain.

Of the femicides in Cuba in 2024, according to this newspaper’s count, eight were recorded in November / EFE

14ymedio bigger14ymedio/EFE, Havana, 31 December 2024 — Machista violence in Cuba claimed the lives of 54 women this year (the 14ymedio database counts 52 verified cases; the number is lower because two cases are not considered femicides). However, despite the fact that the number was lower than in 2023 (85), the number of orphans increased significantly: a total of 62 (21 more than in 2023).

Of the femicides in Cuba in 2024, according to this newspaper’s count, eight were recorded in November, the month this year with the most crimes of this kind, leaving behind October, when seven were counted. Of the total, 41 were committed by the partner or ex-partner of the victims.

The number of femicides on the Island exceeds those recorded in Spain, with a population that is five times greater. Hours before the end of 2024, the Spanish authorities confirmed the murder of a woman, adding up to 47 sexist crimes, and the murder of 9 girls and boys in vicarious crimes committed by their mothers’ abusers.

Of the femicides in Cuba in 2024, according to the count of this newspaper, matched by EFE, eight were recorded in November, the month with the most sexist crimes in the year

As happened the previous year, most of the femicides on the Island, based on the records of Alas Tensas and Yo Sí Te Creo, were committed by current partners (25) and former boyfriends (20).

The average age for victims rose to 36 years – there was a 90-year-old – from an average of 35 in 2023.

The victims include two teenagers – 15 and 16 years old – both in Santiago de Cuba, because of the injuries inflicted, one of them by her ex-partner and the other by her boyfriend, who killed her on the street, a space that has been the scene of several of these events.

At least five of the femicides were by men with a history of violence against women, and one of them was in pre-trial detention for acts of that nature. In addition, there is the death of a trans woman and another of a man for gender reasons (he was murdered along with the woman).

A protest in Spain against femicide; the country closes 2024 with 47 sexist crimes, a figure lower than that of the Island / EFE

The provinces with the most significant indices – in correspondence with their population – were Santiago de Cuba (11), followed by Havana (8) and Holguín (6).

Cuba closed the first semester with 28 machista crimes verified by independent feminists, 43% fewer than for a similar period in 2023. This drop can be attributed mainly to the difficulties in confirming cases due to the fear of reporting by relatives and because most activists operate anonymously or from outside the Island.

As an example, Alas Tensas has cited six cases that are pending confirmation because they need to access the police investigation. In addition, there is a general lack of public information.

Their report indicates that at least two out of three victims of such violence in Cuba were under 40 years old, and in more than half the cases they had dependent minors. In 46% of these cases, the alleged aggressors were their partners, and in 42% they were ex-partners.

According to the references documented in those reports, 2023 remains the worst year for femicides in Cuba since the independent registrations began. There were a total of 85 fatalities, compared to 36 in 2022 and 36 in 2021.

In the Criminal Code of Cuba, femicide is not classified as a specific crime, and the terms ’femicide’ or ’machista crime’ are not used in the official media

The independent groups mentioned have insisted on the importance of the Government of Cuba declaring a “state of emergency for gender violence,” and they demand the promulgation of a comprehensive law against sexist violence on the Island.

In the Criminal Code of Cuba, femicide is not classified as a specific crime, and the terms “femicide” or “machista crime” are not used in the official media.

The Government confirmed last August that the courts identified a total of 110 women over 15 years of age murdered by their partners or ex-partners in trials held in 2023.

President Miguel Díaz-Canel declared “zero tolerance” against such violence, and although information about femicides is not frequent in the state media, in recent months reports and articles have appeared about this problem, and its dimension has been recognized.

At the end of last July, the Government of Cuba approved a national system of “registration, attention, follow-up and monitoring” of machista violence in the country and announced the launch of the “No More” campaign, focused on the prevention and response to aggression against women, with the participation of official organizations, the Italian association Cospe, and the Martin Luther King Christian Center, among other groups.

Translated by Regina Anavy

____________

COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORKThe 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.