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Gloria Almanza Céspedes, a 52-year-old teacher, was murdered by her ex-partner in San Miguel del Padrón, Havana, on May 1st, a crime that
Mother of two adult daughters, but very young, Gloria was killed in her own home in the Los Mangos neighborhood, and her case highlights a pattern that has become alarming throughout the year: the victim had previously reported her attacker to the police without any protective measures being taken.
"Once again, the lack of prevention on the part of the police is evident, as the attacker had been reported by the victim," warned OGAT upon confirming the crime.
Gloria was known in her community as a teacher and an active member of a church.
The independent observatory reported an increase in attempted feminicides -17 since the beginning of this year-, a "concerning number," and raised alarms about the "tragic" case of the adolescent Anais Tamayo Puente, who died under unclear circumstances, for which access to the investigation report is needed.
As of May 4, the OGAT registry recorded 21 verified femicides, 17 attempts, and one murder of a man for gender-related reasons so far in 2026. Additionally, it is investigating 12 possible femicides reported in 2025 and another six possible cases reported in 2026.
The femicide of Gloria Almanza occurred just one week after that of Mariolis López Silio, 37 years old and mother of four children, who was killed on April 24 in Güines, Mayabeque, by her ex-partner Michael Pérez Sanabria.
April has become the most violent month of the year, with at least seven femicides. On April 13, Yunia Lisset Bizet Sánchez was murdered while heading to report her aggressor to the police in the city of Bayamo, Granma; and just over a week later, an event shook the municipality of Batabanó, in Mayabeque: a double femicide that claimed the lives of a mother and her 12-year-old daughter.
The Cuban government's response to the growing violence against women is virtually nonexistent. The regime has not approved a comprehensive law on gender-based violence, the 2022 Penal Code does not classify femicide as an autonomous crime, only as an aggravating factor, and official statistics on these crimes are not published. There are also no shelters or effective protection protocols for at-risk women on the island.
On April 25, the Foreign Ministry declared that "in Cuba there is no and will be no impunity for acts of gender-based violence," a statement that contrasts with the rising number of documented femicides reported by independent organizations and the media, as well as the legal and institutional void regarding these crimes.
In 2025, OGAT confirmed 48 femicides in Cuba, with 83.3% committed by partners or ex-partners; and since 2019, it has verified over 300 crimes due to gender-based violence in the country.
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