On Monday, feminist organizations reported the tragic femicide of Tamara Carreras Martínez, aged 57, who was brutally attacked by her partner on October 24 in the heart of Santiago de Cuba. Despite efforts from bystanders to defend her, Tamara succumbed to her injuries. Her attacker has been apprehended, as stated in a joint announcement by the Observatorio de Género Alas Tensas (OGAT) and YoSíTeCreo en Cuba (YSTCC).
"Our heartfelt condolences go out to her only son, who is an adult, as well as her other family members, friends, and colleagues at the University of Oriente," expressed the organizations while updating the grim statistics of gender-based violence for the year. As of October 28, their tracking revealed 43 femicides, five attempted femicides, six cases still requiring police investigation, and two gender-related killings of men.
There are ongoing investigations into suspected femicides in Las Tunas, Matanzas, Camagüey, and Guantánamo. The latest victim, Tamara Carreras Martínez, worked in the Informatization department at the University of Oriente, which expressed condolences on social media, though they did not specify the cause of death. Previously, journalist Yosmany Mayeta Labrada reported that neighbors who witnessed the attack had confronted the assailant.
Tamara would have celebrated her 58th birthday in November. She lived on San Antonio Street, between Barnada and San Agustín. A neighbor, speaking anonymously, disclosed that Tamara endured domestic abuse, stating, "Her husband was very toxic and oppressive." Her son, Ariel Despaigne Carreras, was on a migration journey through Central America when the tragedy occurred.
Recent Femicide Cases Highlight Growing Crisis
Just days ago, the femicide of Yucleidis “Cuca” Morales was confirmed in the same province, specifically in Baltony, within the Los Reynaldo community in Songo-La Maya municipality. In August, the regime disclosed that in 2023, 60 cases of gender-based murders of women aged 15 and older were tried in courts. Of these, 50 (83.3%) were killed by partners or ex-partners, with the rest attributed to other perpetrators, according to the Observatorio de Cuba sobre Igualdad de Género.
The courts also reviewed 378 cases of sexual violence, with an unspecified number of women suffering injuries from attacks by former partners. It is notable that the Cuban Penal Code does not classify femicide as a specific crime, nor does it use terms like "femicide" or "gender-based crime."
The state-run Federación de Mujeres Cubanas (FMC) has acknowledged that over 16,000 women and girls from 9,579 families are living under the threat of violence in Cuba. In July, the government established a national system for the registration, attention, tracking, and monitoring of gender-based violence incidents within family settings.