El Salvador has recorded a historic 96.7% drop in femicides under President Nayib Bukele’s Territorial Control Plan, transforming the nation into a significantly safer place for women. Data from the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) confirms that only nine cases of femicide have occurred from January to July 2025, compared to 274 cases reported in 2015.
This dramatic decrease marks a major milestone in the country’s fight against gender-based violence, as 2015 remains the most violent year in El Salvador’s history, with 6,656 violent deaths nationwide—274 of them being women.
Deputy Prosecutor for Women, Children, Adolescents, and Other Vulnerable Groups, Marina de Ortega, credited the sustained success to the government’s security policies and the effective collaboration between prosecutorial and police forces. “We are seeing a steady decline in virtually all criminal acts, and specifically in femicides. Both in the incidence and in the resolution of cases, there is greater effectiveness,” she stated.
From 2016 to 2018, annual femicide rates remained high, with 256, 271, and 232 cases respectively. A sharp decline began in 2019 following the implementation of the Territorial Control Plan. That year closed with 113 cases—a 51.3% reduction from the prior year under former president Salvador Sánchez Cerén, now a fugitive.
Since then, femicide numbers have continued to drop:
- 2020: 73 cases
- 2021: 80 cases
- 2022: 53 cases
- 2023: 29 cases
- 2024: 30 cases
- 2025 (to date): 9 cases
The PCT was further strengthened in March 2022 through a state of emergency, accelerating results and reinforcing nationwide safety measures.
Specialized Prosecutorial Units Improve Case Outcomes
Marina de Ortega also highlighted the creation of the Deputy Prosecutor’s Office for Women and the Specialized Prosecutor’s Unit for the Investigation of Femicide as vital components of this progress. These units apply advanced forensic and legal techniques, ensuring high-quality investigations and successful prosecutions.
Furthermore, a dedicated protocol for investigating and prosecuting violent deaths of women and femicide suicides has been implemented, streamlining response and improving care for victims. The institution also provides support for indirect victims through multidisciplinary teams and facilities like Gesell Chambers, which prevent re-victimization.
Conviction for Brutal 2017 Femicide
One of the latest high-profile convictions occurred in May 2025. Two Mara Salvatrucha gang members—Jesús Esaú Santamaría Reyes, alias Black, and Miguel Eduardo Guevara Rivas, alias El Sospechoso—received prison sentences of 60 and 39 years, respectively, for the aggravated femicide of a pregnant woman and her unborn child.
The crime, committed in May 2017 in Olocuilta, La Paz, involved years of intimidation and abuse by Santamaría Reyes, the victim’s partner. Upon his release from prison on separate charges, he and Guevara murdered the woman in a violent assault driven by gang suspicion.
El Salvador’s continued crackdown on violent crime through specialized security and justice measures demonstrates a long-term commitment to protecting women and dismantling the roots of gender-based violence.
