EFE/14ymedio, Havana, 13 November 2023 — The Cuban independent feminist platforms Alas Tensas and Yo Sí Te Creo (YSTC) verified this Monday two new sexist murders in Cuba, bringing the number of femicides in the country so far in 2023 to 75, according to the list maintained by 14ymedio.
The organizations reported the murder of Maylin Fernández Sánchez, aged about 43, which occurred between November 4 and 5 in Güines, Mayabeque, and that of Ana María Laria, aged 62, which occurred in Playa de Guanabo, Havana, on November 22. September.
“Elements that allow defining the type of femicide have not yet been verified, but gender bias has been corroborated by the extreme violence exerted, allegedly at the hands of an ex-partner or acquaintance,” the platforms said about the first case.
The alleged perpetrator of the second feminicide is the victim’s husband. “These facts were published by the press, citizens and activists, and verified by joint efforts,” stressed the two platforms, which have contact numbers for victims of sexist violence.
The femicides recorded to date by these independent groups – in the absence of official statistics – represent more than double the total of those quantified in 2022, a total of 36.
The femicides recorded to date by these independent groups – in the absence of official statistics – represent more than double the total of those quantified in 2022 (36)
On October 31, they confirmed the sexist murders of Aracelis Cala Pérez, 32 years old, in Pinar del Río; Yesica García Duany, 28 years old, in Santiago de Cuba, and Yubisleydis Gamboa Ricardo, 34 years old, in Granma.
The work of these feminist groups and their dissemination in the independent media has contributed to highlighting the cases of sexist murders and disappearances of Cuban women in recent years.
The activists insist that a “state of emergency due to gender violence” must be declared, and regret that the Government has not taken measures in this regard.
In addition, they advocate for a comprehensive law against gender violence (sexist murder is not classified in the Penal Code) and the implementation of protocols to prevent these events, as well as the creation of shelters and rescue systems for women and their children in danger.
Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel, this year, called for “zero tolerance” of sexist violence and assured that in Cuba any criminal act is “exaggerated” and, in particular, those of gender violence, in his opinion for a “manifesto imperial effort to create a climate of insecurity and mistrust” on the Island.
In June, the official Federation of Cuban Women presented the Cuban Observatory on Gender Equality, which includes statistics of “women who have been victims of intentional homicide as a consequence of gender violence in the last 12 months.”
This registry counted 18 cases in 2022, the same figure provided by the Supreme Court when referring to the number of convictions for femicides, all with penalties – for the crime of murder – above 25 years in prison.
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