Las Tunas closed 2025 with a sexual violence rate of 7.57 cases per 100,000 women aged 15 and older, nearly double the national average of 4.19, and the third highest in Cuba.
The data was published this Thursday by the state newspaper Periódico 26, based on statistics from the Cuba Gender Equality Observatory (OCIG), affiliated with the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI).
During the year, the province recorded 15 legal cases of sexual violence and another 10 related to abuse, harassment, or similar offenses, according to official information.
When adjusting the cases to the female population aged 15 years and older, Las Tunas ranked only behind Pinar del Río and Camagüey in the rate of sexual violence, despite the fact that other regions with larger populations recorded more incidents in absolute terms.
The indicators related to the most extreme gender-based violence were also above the Cuban average.
The rate of femicide was 1.51 in Las Tunas, compared to the national rate of 1.19, while the rate of women killed by their partners or ex-partners also reached 1.51, compared to the national rate of 0.94.
In this last indicator, Las Tunas surpassed Havana, which recorded a rate of 0.90; Holguín, with 1.04; and Santiago de Cuba, with 1.25. Only Camagüey, with 1.80, and Mayabeque, with 3.64, reported higher rates.
The evolution over the last three years shows that the problem is not new, as the rate of sexual violence in Las Tunas increased from 9.60 in 2023 to 10.85 in 2024 and then decreased to 7.57 in 2025.
Although the latest figure represents a decrease, it remains well above the national average.
In fact, in 2024 Las Tunas reported 22 cases of sexual violence and a rate of 10.85 per 100,000 women, approximately double the Cuban average for that year.
The evolution of deaths caused by partners or ex-partners is particularly concerning. While the national rate decreased from 1.29 in 2024 to 0.94 in 2025, in Las Tunas it was the opposite: it increased from 0.99 to 1.51.
The analysis published by the state-run media also mentions some demographic characteristics that could influence the vulnerability of certain sectors.
34.1% of the population in Tunera lives in rural areas, compared to the national average of 25.3%, and in these areas, the rates of violence are higher than in urban ones.
The article points to isolation, the existence of weaker support networks, and a lower institutional presence as possible factors, although these are interpretations based on the data rather than evidence of a proven causal relationship.
Official statistics also have limitations. The OCIG constructs its indicators based on judicial processes resolved by the People's Supreme Court, so they do not necessarily reflect all the events that occurred.
The report acknowledges that underreporting, particularly in cases of sexual offenses and in rural areas, means that the figures represent a minimal approximation of the problem.
The provincial landscape is embedded in a broader situation of violence against women in Cuba.
The independent observatories Alas Tensas and Yo Sí Te Creo in Cuba reported 48 verified femicides in the country for 2025, along with 17 attempted femicides and two murders of men due to gender motives.
The organizations themselves then warned that this balance represented an underreporting, as they were investigating other cases and lacked access to police and judicial files that would allow them to verify all the complaints.
In this regard, Las Tunas has continued to record serious incidents during 2026. In July, for example, a 23-year-old pregnant woman wasmurdered allegedly by her ex-partner in the main municipality.
The Gender Observatory of Alas Tensas confirmed the case and stated that it had documented at least four femicides in the province so far this year.
That crime raised the verified femicides in Cuba to 42 during 2026.
The observatory also recalled that the previous femicide of a pregnant woman it had documented in the country also occurred in Las Tunas, in June 2024.
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