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The platforms YoSíTe Creo en Cuba (YSTCC) and the Gender Observatory of Alas Tensas (OGAT) confirmed two new femicides that occurred in rural areas of Cuba, which brings the total number of women killed due to gender reasons to 19 in the country so far in 2025, according to preliminary data from these independent organizations.
Both victims were young, students, and mothers, highlighting the multiple vulnerabilities that women face in rural contexts of the country, where structural gaps in protection, access to services, and institutional response to gender-based violence persist.
Extreme violence in Matanzas
One of the victims was Melisa Rivero Bacallao, 24 years old, who was murdered on July 8 by someone she knew.
The crime occurred in areas near the road of the popular council Fructuoso Rodríguez, in the municipality of Limonar, province of Matanzas.
According to reports from the observatories, Melisa was also a victim of sexual assault.
The young woman leaves behind a minor child, who is now in a situation of maternal orphanhood. The community, family, and fellow students deeply mourn her loss.
Femicide in Santiago de Cuba
The second confirmed case is that of Leysi Liettis Cascaret Casero, 22 years old, who was murdered on June 7 by her partner and the father of her baby, who was only a month and a half old.
In that case, the crime occurred in the residence they both shared, located in the El Manguito community, in the municipality of La Maya, Santiago de Cuba province.
Leysi Liettis was a Medical Sciences student, and her death left the infant orphaned from their mother, with their father implicated in the crime—a tragedy that has shocked her family, university, and social circles.
Both cases—now verified by the OGAT and YSTCC observatories—had previously been reported on social media and by independent outlets.
As of July 15, organizations report 19 verified femicides this year, the murder of a man due to gender motives, and one attempted femicide.
The mentioned sources also revealed that alerts are currently being verified in the provinces of Artemisa and Havana.
Both OGAT and YSTCC emphasized that these femicides occurred in rural contexts, where access to support networks, institutional protection, and public services is limited, increasing women's exposure to situations of violence.
Organizations emphasize the urgent need for effective public policies with an intersectional approach that take into account territorial specificities and provide comprehensive protection for women across the country.
Official data from 2024
During 2024, 76 women were victims of femicide in Cuba, at the hands of their partners, ex-partners, or other individuals, according to a recent official report released by the island's regime on extreme gender violence against females.
The Cuban Observatory on Gender Equality (OCIG), an entity affiliated with the Cuban government, made the figure public, referring to it as the number of women aged 15 and older who have been "victims of intentional homicide (murder)" for gender-related reasons, without mentioning the term femicide at any point.
The OCIG indicated that this total corresponds to a rate of 1.79 for every 100,000 women and pertains solely to the cases adjudicated in judicial processes during the year 2024.
The figure is much higher than the underreporting recorded by the independent feminist platforms Observatorio de Género de Alas Tensas and YoSí TeCreo in Cuba, which documented 56 femicides last year, according to the annual report published by OGAT.
According to the OCIG, the murders of women by their partners or former partners reached 55 in 2024, an increase from the 50 recorded in 2023. Meanwhile, femicides committed by individuals other than the victims' partners or former partners doubled compared to the previous year: 21 compared to 10.
The report from the government entity acknowledges that as a result of these violent crimes, 70 minors were left without maternal care. Furthermore, 73.7% of the incidents occurred in the victims' own homes.
By province, the highest number of femicides was reported in La Habana, with 12 cases and a rate of 1.49; Santiago de Cuba, where nine cases were reported for a rate of 2.20; and Matanzas, with eight cases and a high rate of 2.96.
The highest number of victims (44) were women aged 20 to 44, followed by 17 in the 45 to 59 age group.
On the other hand, the OCIG also revealed that, during 2024, 230 cases of sexual crimes were judged in Cuban courts, which translates to a rate of 5.42 per 100,000 women. Of this total, 120 cases were related to sexual assault and 110 to other forms of sexual violence.
In Cuba, femicide is not classified as a crime in the Penal Code effective since May 2022. The Cuban regime refuses to acknowledge the term, yet it has admitted to the rise of gender-based violence.
The official Federation of Cuban Women (FMC) confirmed in August of last year that more than 16,000 women and girls, from 9,579 families, are living in situations of violence in the country.
Independent platforms Yo Sí Te Creo en Cuba and Alas Tensas carry a underreporting of gender-based violence, while also and the creation of public policies that protect women and prevent violence.
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