Havana/Elianne Reyes Gómez, 26 years old and mother of a little girl, was murdered on December 7 in Madruga, Mayabeque, at the hands of her partner. The crime occurred inside his own home. The news, which initially circulated among neighbors and local media, was confirmed this Wednesday by the platforms Yo Sí Te Creo in Cuba and the Gender Observatory of the magazine Tense Wings.
According to the independent count of 14ymedio –maintained in the absence of reliable official data– this would be the 41st femicide of the year, after the murder, on December 5, of the teenager Heidi Garcia Orozco in Jovellanos, Matanzas.
In that same scenario, the attempted femicide against Niyu del Carmen López Morales was recently revealed, who was hospitalized in Havana after being beaten and attacked with acid by her ex-partner. The attack occurred in a building in the La Virgen del Camino area, where neighbors heard her screams and called the Police, who managed to rescue her. The victim confirmed that he suffered serious injuries and that the attacker remains detained.
The cases recorded in recent weeks have generated concern
The cases recorded in recent weeks have generated concern in different communities, where relatives and residents point out the lack of resources and effective care pathways to respond to risk situations and prevent new episodes of violence.
Comparative studies on gender violence place Cuba among the countries with the highest rates of femicides in the region, with a proportion of 1.4 murders per 100,000 women, a level higher than that of other countries with greater public visibility on this problem, such as Mexico, Argentina, Ecuador or Chile. This occurs despite the fact that in the Cuban case the available figures do not come from official statistics, but from independent records carried out by organizations that do not have access to all the information handled secretly by the authorities.
Studies place Cuba among the countries with the highest rates of femicides
The persistence of these events once again puts on the table the need to effectively implement the Victim Care Law, a legal framework that, according to specialists and organizations, could offer clearer tools for the protection, support and reparation of those who face situations of serious violence in the country.
The recent opening in Havana of an office specialized in assisting victims of gender violence, created by the National Organization of Collective Law Firms with the support of the Canadian Embassy and the United Nations Population Fund, is part of this same scenario.
