Femicides: 52 women have been murdered so far in 2025 in Atlántico

A woman identified as Malca Irina Rico became victim number 52 of women murdered in the Atlanticso far this year, in events that occurred under the modality of hitmen. The crime took place in the Los Laureles neighborhood, in the southeast of Barranquilla.

According to testimonies from neighbors, the victim was inside her home when two hitmen entered and shot her at least seven times, leaving her lifeless at the scene.

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Ruth Pareja, psychologist and women’s rights activist in Barranquilla, and member of the Atlantic Women’s Network, spoke about this new case, warning about the increase in these murders and the lack of a structural approach by the authorities.

“There are 52 women murdered. It is a job that I have been doing from the civilian population, collecting information from the judicial fields. Each woman has a first and last name, unfortunately,” said the defender.

Pareja questioned that the authorities tend to normalize these crimes, immediately attributing them to the victims’ alleged background without investigating whether they are being exploited by criminal groups that operate in the city.

“We have to change the discourse and understand that the gender based violence and the femicides They have a structural background. Our leaders must study this phenomenon in depth and not in form. The first thing they say is that the woman belonged to a gang, and thus the death is naturalized,” he stated.

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The murder occurred in the midst of the truce and peace talks held by a criminal group with the National Government, a situation that raises even more questions about the persistence of violence against women in the department.