MIAMI, United States. – The independent platform IYesI Believe in Cuba and the Magazine Gender Observatory Tense Wings (OGAT) Four new femicides that occurred on the Island were confirmed this Tuesday, bringing the total number of verified cases to 50 so far in 2024.
The first victim is Yanisel Riverón, 37 years old, who was murdered by her partner on October 12 in the middle of a public street in the city of Holguín. According to reports, the attacker also attacked Riverón’s son during the incident.
The second case corresponds to Doralis Cardoza, 25 years old, who lost her life on November 1 at the hands of her partner inside her own home in Morón, province of Ciego de Ávila.
On November 9, Daynilis Lobaina, 30, was also murdered by her partner in her home, located in Maisí, Guantanamo. This fact adds another name to the list of women victims of sexist violence in the east of the country.
The fourth confirmed femicide is that of Vania Mojena, 43 years old, who died on November 13 in Bayamo, Granma province, after being attacked by her ex-partner. The activists pointed out that “the mistreatment she had suffered when she was a partner of the aggressor was publicly known.”
In addition to these crimes, the observatories record six attempted feminicides and six other cases that require access to police investigations for confirmation. Two gender-related murders of men are also reported.
Yo SíTeCreo in Cuba and the OGAT also expressed their condolences for the murder of two Cuban women “in conditions of trafficking by organized crime in Tapachula, Chiapas, in Mexico“.
Both organizations reiterated the urgency for the Cuban Government to declare a “state of emergency due to gender violence.” Likewise, they advocated for the implementation of a comprehensive law that effectively combats sexist violence. “It is imperative that concrete measures be taken to protect women and prevent more femicides,” they insisted.
In the first half of 2024, these organizations verified 28 femicides, which represents a decrease of 43% compared to the same period of the previous year. However, they attributed this reduction primarily to increasing difficulties in confirming information, rather than to an actual decrease in violence.
Femicide is not classified as a specific crime in the Cuban Penal Code. The terms “feminicide” or “sexist crime” rarely appear in state media, which only exceptionally report on this type of violence.
Last August, the Government of Cuba reported that, in trials held in 2023, the courts identified a total of 110 women over 15 years of age murdered by their partners or ex-partners. A recent report by the Attorney General, Yamila Peña, reveals that 72% of the victims were between 25 and 59 years old, 84% of the aggressors were partners or ex-partners, and 31% had a criminal record for violent acts.
At the end of July, the authorities approved the creation of a national system for the “registration, attention, follow-up and monitoring” of sexist violence in the country. However, feminist organizations consider that these measures are insufficient and demand more forceful actions.
“Without official recognition of the seriousness of the problem and without laws that effectively protect women, femicides will continue to occur,” YoSíTeCreo and OGAT warned.
