Cuba sees sharp rise in femicides amid institutional neglect

The Gender Observatory of Alas Tensas (OGAT) reported 48 femicides in Cuba for 2025, with 83.3% committed by current or former partners and 62.5% occurring in the victims' homes. Bladed weapons were used in 64.6% of cases, and 40 women, girls and children were recorded as missing, of whom 26 were later found alive.

In 2026, OGAT documented a further surge, recording 44 femicides by July 27—a 144% increase over the same period in 2025. The organization issued a public appeal for information on a recent case in Pinar del Río, where a woman known as “La China” (believed to be Ana Luisa Baños González) was allegedly killed by her partner on July 14.

OGAT highlighted systemic failures: a lack of public shelters, absent protective protocols, no transparent official data, and the absence of a comprehensive law against gender‑based violence. After the closure of the “Yo Sí Te Creo en Cuba” observatory in April 2026, OGAT remains the sole independent monitor of femicide in the country.