Havana/Diosdeisis Sandoval Damas, 28, is the most recent victim of femicide reported by the independent platforms Alas Tensas and Yo Sí Te Creo in Cuba. The woman, a resident of La Güinera, in the Havana municipality of Arroyo Naranjo, was allegedly murdered by her ex-partner on November 13.
According to witnesses, the woman was attacked by the man, who then dragged her to the public road, where an elderly neighbor tried to help her. The attacker allegedly stabbed him fatally in the groin and, when the man tried to intervene, the attacker responded by throwing stones to prevent him. The victim had a young daughter.
According to the count of 14ymediothis case corresponds to the 37th feminicide in Cuba, so far this year, and the fourth that occurred in November. Before this event, this newspaper had reported on the murder of Liena de la Caridad Reinoso Ramos, a 23-year-old nurse stabbed by her ex-partner in Pinar del Río, on November 6.
The attacker allegedly stabbed him fatally in the groin and, when the man tried to intervene, the attacker responded by throwing stones to prevent it.
The independent organizations that keep these records compile and verify femicides based on community reports, complaints on social networks and testimonies from family members, due to the absence of detailed official data.
With less than a month and a half left until the end of the year, the 14ymedio registry counts 15 fewer femicides than at the end of 2024, when 52 were documented. However, it is still impossible to know the real magnitude of sexist violence in Cuba: many cases are never disseminated on social networks and the Government only discloses data related to some judicial processes.
Last year, authorities held 76 trials for sexist crimes, but it is unknown on what dates the murders occurred. In the trials held in 2023, 110 victims were registered.
The Attorney General’s Office, the Ministry of the Interior, the Supreme Court and other institutions announced this year the creation of a computerized administrative registry to collect data on femicides, but shortly after confirmed that it would not be public.
