2025 Sees 46 Women Killed in Domestic Violence Cases

The year 2025 recorded a tragic high in gender-based violence, with 46 women and three minors murdered by their partners or ex-partners. These incidents occurred across various regions, highlighting a persistent national crisis.

Among the victims were Dolores, aged 86, and Ainhoa, aged 19. The violence extended to children, three of whom were killed to inflict suffering on their mothers. A significant pattern emerged regarding legal history: the perpetrators in these specific cases, like three out of four aggressors nationwide, had no prior reports filed against them.

2025 stands as a somber milestone in the ongoing battle against violencia machista. A total of 46 women lost their lives at the hands of their partners or ex-partners. The violence was not limited to adults; three minors were also killed during these attacks. The primary objective of these crimes against children was to inflict maximum pain and suffering on the victims' mothers and their extended families.

The geographic spread of these tragedies was wide, affecting communities from the north to the south of the country. The sheer volume of these crimes underscores the severity of the issue. In five instances, the aggressors chose to end their own lives following the murders. The remaining perpetrators were apprehended by law enforcement.

The victims represented a wide demographic range, illustrating that age is not a shield against this type of violence. The eldest victim was Dolores, an 86-year-old woman from a small town in Asturias. She was discovered in her home, having suffered severe blunt force trauma to the head and cuts across her body. Her attacker was her 90-year-old husband.

In stark contrast, the youngest victim was Ainhoa, a 19-year-old woman from Librilla in the Murcia region. She was killed by her 27-year-old boyfriend. These two cases represent the extreme ends of the age spectrum of victims in 2025, demonstrating the pervasive nature of the threat across generations.

A critical aspect of the 2025 data is the prevalence of unreported abuse. In the specific cases of Dolores and Ainhoa, the attackers had no prior denuncias (formal reports) filed against them for gender-based violence. This is not an anomaly but reflects a national trend where three out of four femicides are committed by men with no prior legal record.

This reality presents a significant challenge for prevention and intervention. Despite decades of legislation aimed at penalizing gender crimes, the majority of fatal attacks occur without prior warning to authorities. The lack of a paper trail makes it difficult for support systems to intervene before violence turns lethal.

Beyond the immediate loss of life, these crimes leave a lasting impact on the surviving family members. The murder of three children specifically to hurt their mothers adds a layer of horror to the statistics. These acts are designed to destroy the victim's lineage and cause enduring psychological trauma to the surviving relatives.

The fact that five perpetrators committed suicide indicates the complex and often desperate mental states involved, yet it denies the justice system the opportunity to hold them accountable. For the families of the remaining victims, the legal process continues as the arrested aggressors face the consequences of their actions.