Machismo-related violence cut short the lives of nearly 50 women in Cuba during 2025, confirmed independent observatories that keep a record of femicides committed in the country this Monday.
The gender observatories of the magazine Alas Tensas (OGAT) and Yo Sí Te Creo en Cuba (YSTCC) verified three more cases of femicide, bringing the total number of victims to 48 during the previous year.
These figures represent an underreporting of the actual cases, as the Cuban government has not released official statistics on femicides for 2025
On the night of December 31, Yuleidis (Yule) Sánchez Rodríguez, a 43-year-old mother, was attacked by her partner in public, near her home in the Altamira neighborhood of Santiago de Cuba.
Due to the injuries inflicted by the attacker, Yuleidis passed away the following day, leaving her three children orphaned, two of whom are underage.
The man had a history of domestic violence, and the victim had previously reported him for this reason, highlighting "once again, the lack of prevention by the Cuban police," the observers reported.
The organizations also verified two pending cases with the help of the community.
Roxana Donatien Celian, 21 years old, was killed by her partner on July 2, in the home they shared in Bella Vista, Juruquey, Camagüey province. However, for several days, Roxana was considered missing because her murderer attempted to cover up the crime.
According to family testimony, the man had already been aggressive with her. At one point, they separated, but they had resumed their relationship a month ago. Days before the fatal attack, she went to the police station, and the authorities issued a restraining order against the individual.
After committing the femicide, the individual sent messages to the family from Roxana's cell phone, attempting to simulate that she had left the country on a boat. The relatives became suspicious and reported it to the police. The man fled, but was captured and, days later, confessed where he had hidden the body, which was found "in conditions that prevented her family from saying goodbye as she deserved."
Iveth Aldana, a 54-year-old mother, was attacked on August 5 by her ex-partner at the Tuxpan shopping center, where she worked as an accountant, in the city of Bayamo, Granma.
After 35 years of marriage, she decided to separate and rebuild her life, but her husband and father of her two children, identified as Roberto Cedeño, did not accept it and ultimately took her life.
The three cases once again highlight "a recurring pattern: violence perpetrated by partners or ex-partners, breakups not accepted by the aggressors, a history of control or previous complaints, and an institutional response unable to provide effective protection in a timely manner," warned the independent organizations.
In 2025, OGAT and YSTCC also documented two murders of men due to gender motives and 17 attempted feminicides, in addition to three cases that require access to the police investigation: Hilda Puig Peña, Nieves Rosa Castrillo Núñez, and Fredesvinda Zaida Pérez Poey.
The observatories are continuing to investigate 12 possible femicides that occurred in the recently concluded year.
OGAT and YSTCC have emphasized that the Cuban regime's response to the increasing violence against women is inadequate.
Structural impunity encourages feminicides in Cuba, they assert, because despite the reference to misogynistic violence in the Penal Code, there is no comprehensive law on gender-based violence in the country, nor is there an independent classification of feminicide. Additionally, there are no shelters or accessible protection protocols for women and girls at risk.
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