Machista violence in Spain: Equality confirms 19 women murdered in 2026

The Ministry of Equality has confirmed a new case of sexist violence in the Community of Madrid, raising to 19 the number of women murdered by their partners or ex-partners so far in 2026. The victim, a 21-year-old woman, would have been allegedly murdered by her partner, a 23-year-old man, last May 9 in the Madrid district of Carabanchel. With this new confirmation, the historical toll already amounts to 1,360 women murdered since official data began to be collected in 2003.

According to information from the department led by Ana Redondo, there were previous complaints of gender violence against the alleged aggressor. The National Police arrested the suspect on the same Saturday after the young woman appeared unconscious and lying in the middle of the public road with a strong blow to the head. The officers received the alert around 7:30 a.m., at which point the police and judicial protocol was activated to investigate the case.

The crime has once again put the focus on the persistence of sexist violence in Spain and on the importance of institutional protection mechanisms. According to official Ministry data, 11 of the 19 murders registered this year, 57.9% of the total, had no prior complaint. Furthermore, in four of the cases the alleged aggressor committed suicide after committing the crime.

By autonomous communities, Andalucía tops the list of sexist murders in 2026 with four fatal victims. They are followed by Aragón, Canarias, Comunidad Valenciana and Comunidad de Madrid, with two cases each. Sexist murders have also been registered in Cantabria, Castilla y León, Cataluña, Extremadura, Galicia, Navarra and Castilla-La Mancha, with one case in each territory.

The latest statistical update from the Ministry of Equality had occurred just a few days before, when the death of a woman in Vizcaya was ruled out as a sexist crime after the forensic report became known. The Government insists that gender violence continues to be a “matter of State” and recalls the importance of using care and protection resources such as the 016 phone number, available 24 hours and that leaves no trace on the phone bill.