Cuban courts judged 110 femicides and 378 cases of sexual violence in 2023.

The Government of Cuba confirmed this Thursday that 110 women were killed by their partners or ex-partners in 2023.

This figure was released by the Observatory of Cuba on Gender Equality (OCIG) and refers only to cases judged in the previous year, where the victims were over 15 years old.

Statistics distinguish between murders "for gender reasons" (60) and those that, although committed by partners or ex-partners, were not prosecuted under this aggravating circumstance (50).

In Cuba, the Penal Code in force since May 2022 does not include the concept of femicide.

Official data indicates that Cuba ended 2023 with a rate of 2.16 femicides per 100,000 women. This information, when compared to the 2022 records from the Gender Equality Observatory of CEPAL, shows the sixth highest rate in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Another interesting aspect of the official information is that the data from 2023 exceeds the 88 femicides recorded by independent feminist platforms on the island, such as Yo Sí Te Creo and Alas Tensas during the same year.

Until 2024, the official Cuban press does not routinely provide information about gender-based murders, nor does it typically use terms such as "femicide" or "machista crime." However, in recent months, the government has publicly acknowledged the seriousness of the problem.

In July, the Council of Ministers of Cuba approved a national system for "registration, care, follow-up, and monitoring" of violence against women. It is made up of 25 experts from the Ministry of the Interior and the Supreme People's Court.

The objective of this government group is to develop a "computerized and interoperable administrative registry" to manage criminal processes.

The Attorney General, Yamila Peña Ojeda, indicated that in Cuba, 75% of cases of gender-based violence occur at home and that this trend continues in 2024.

72% of the victims are between 25 and 59 years old, and 84% of the aggressors are partners or ex-partners. Another important piece of information is that 31% of the attackers had a criminal record for violence.

A few days ago, the non-governmental organizations Alas Tensas and Yo Sí Te Creo confirmed the 31st femicide in Cuba in 2024. As of July 29, there were also 3 attempted femicides and six cases that require police investigation.