A Nicaragua Without Figures Seeks to Erase Violence Against Women
The Ortega-Murillo regime has stopped disseminating official data on gender-based violence. There are no consolidated public figures or comparable reports on regional platforms. Furthermore, Nicaragua has not ratified the Optional Protocol to CEDAW, the United Nations instrument that allows women to report the State to an international committee when their rights are violated. Feminist activists argue that the elimination of statistics is part of the institutional dismantling that has reduced public oversight and weakened protection mechanisms for women.
TL;DR
- Nicaragua has no public, comparable data on violence against women, with official reports ceasing after 2021.
- The government has not ratified the Optional Protocol to CEDAW, preventing women from filing international complaints against the State.
- Independent monitoring from exile is the only source of data on violence against women.
- Feminist activists state that the elimination of statistics is a deliberate institutional dismantling strategy, beginning as early as 2007.
- The closure of women's organizations has eliminated independent monitoring and structured reporting channels.
- In the absence of official data, independent observatories report at least 72 femicides in 2025, but these figures cannot be officially verified.
- The suppression of data hinders public scrutiny, policy formulation, and institutional credibility.
- Nicaragua has canceled the legal status of thousands of civil society organizations, including women's groups, since 2018.
- The closure of 'Comisarías de la Mujer' (Women's Police Stations) further exposed women to violence.
- Women in Nicaragua are left unprotected, without support or defense against gender-based violence and state violence.