Young, Unemployed Women Among Main Victims of Femicides in Cuba

Gender violence in Cuba, including its most severe forms, remains a serious issue, often occurring in domestic settings, disproportionately affecting young women, and leaving many children without maternal care.

In 2024, 76 cases of femicide were prosecuted in the Caribbean nation, representing a rate of 1.79 per 100,000 women aged 15 and older. Most of these crimes were committed by partners, ex-partners, or other close individuals, according to recent data from Cuba’s Gender Equality Observatory.

The statistics, which only include concluded judicial cases, suggest the actual incidence of femicide may be even higher. They also reveal patterns demanding urgent attention.

Of the prosecuted cases, 55 involved women killed by their current or former partners, an increase from 50 in 2023. Additionally, cases involving perpetrators outside intimate relationships rose significantly, from 10 in 2023 to 21 in 2024.

Women aged 20 to 44 were the most affected (44 cases), followed by those aged 45 to 59 (17 cases). Two victims had disabilities at the time of their deaths.

The home remained the primary setting for these crimes (73.7%), highlighting the need for stronger protections and support for women and their families. As a result of these killings, 70 children were left without maternal care, a situation requiring coordinated responses from social protection systems.

Geographically, Havana (12 cases, rate of 1.49 per 100,000), Santiago de Cuba (9 cases, rate of 2.20), and Matanzas (8 cases, rate of 2.96) recorded the highest absolute numbers of victims.

While urban areas saw more prosecuted cases (44) than rural areas (32), the femicide rate in rural zones was significantly higher—3.27 per 100,000 women compared to 1.35 in urban areas. This suggests that rural women face greater proportional risk, possibly due to isolation and limited access to support services.

White women remained the majority among victims, though cases involving Black and mixed-race women increased by five and 10, respectively, compared to 2023.

Another critical finding was that 69.7% of the murdered women were unemployed, underscoring the link between economic dependence and vulnerability to violence.

These disparities—based on location, race, and employment status—highlight the urgent need for intersectional approaches in analysis and prevention policies.

The rise in femicides committed by non-partners also points to evolving risk scenarios, presenting new challenges for prevention and comprehensive care.

Regarding sexual violence, courts processed 230 cases in 2024, a rate of 5.42 per 100,000 women. Of these, 120 were sexual assaults, and 110 involved related abuses. Havana (51 cases, rate of 6.32), Las Tunas (22 cases, rate of 10.85), and Granma (21 cases, rate of 6.63) were the most affected provinces.

Though urban areas recorded more cases (152), the rate was higher in rural zones (7.97 per 100,000 vs. 4.65). Women aged 20 to 44 (122 cases) and adolescents aged 15 to 17 (70 cases) were the most frequent victims of sexual violence, with the latter group facing the highest rate (46.13 per 100,000), signaling a need for specialized care and comprehensive sex education.

As with femicides, most sexual violence victims were white, unemployed, and five had disabilities.

While the Observatory’s data provides valuable insights, especially given Cuba’s historical lack of such statistics, it still offers only a partial picture of gender and sexual violence in the country.

Experts warn that these crimes are underreported due to fear of retaliation, social normalization of violence, distrust in institutions, and limited access to support services, particularly in rural areas.

"Victims arrive terrified, often downplaying their experiences, feeling shame, and trapped in a sense of helplessness," psychologist Yamila Ramos Rangel, who works with survivors in Cienfuegos, told SEMlac in 2022. "Many lack social, familial, or economic support, fearing legal and social repercussions, especially if they have children."

Consequently, the true scale of violence likely far exceeds reported figures, posing additional challenges for policymaking and prevention strategies. This issue was acknowledged during the XVI International Criminal Sciences Conference in Havana (March 26-28, 2024), where officials proposed an interoperable digital registry to consolidate data from multiple sources.

Ana Hernández Mur, Chief Prosecutor of Cuba’s General Prosecutor’s Office, emphasized the need to expand tracking beyond prosecuted cases to include incidents that never reach courts, such as those where perpetrators commit suicide. "This would enable a broader analysis beyond judicial sentences," she noted.