The Gender Observatory of the independent feminist publication Alas Tensas confirmed this Wednesday a new femicide in Cuba. So far this year 19 women have been victims of sexist violence, according to these recounts.
Cuban Darisleni Fuentes Infante, 32, was murdered by her ex-partner on March 19 in the Pesquería People’s Council, belonging to the Baraguá municipality, in Ciego de Ávila, this source pointed out.
The feminist platform affirmed from its Facebook profile that the event had been verified by relatives of the victim, who leaves behind a 14-year-old son. This was not the son of the attacker.
In Cuba, there is no public record of sexist murders and it is platforms such as Alas Tensas and Yo Sí Te Creo (YSTC) that have been verifying femicides since 2019.
Since then, the data they collect on sexist violence on the island has made it possible to verify a total of 137 femicides on the island, according to the Spanish news agency EFE.
The activists criticize the fact that femicide is not classified as a crime in the current Cuban Penal Code ― although it contemplates homicide for gender-based reasons.
They also denounce that there are no shelters for victims of domestic abuse, nor a Comprehensive Law against gender-based violence, nor specific protocols or specialized police stations to care for victims.
YSTC has enabled a counseling service through a “Support Line” to offer legal advice to people affected by gender-based violence.
In its opinion, “although eradicating femicides and gender-based violence is a matter that concerns everyone, the political will of the institutions in power is a fundamental link in this social struggle.”
A 2016 state survey showed that 26.7% of Cuban women between the ages of 15 and 74 claimed to have suffered some type of violence in their partner relationship in the 12 months prior to the study. Of them, only 3.7% of the assaulted requested institutional help.
The state press is not used to reporting these facts, although in recent weeks they have reported some cases.
EFE/OnCuba
