Government celebrates drop in homicide rates amid shock over femicide cases

The security ministry celebrated that Argentina is “the least violent country in Latin America and the Caribbean” after it registered its “lowest homicide rate in history.” The announcement came amid public outrage over the murder of 14-year-old Agostina Vega, which is being investigated as a femicide — a term the government has refused to use. On Monday, Security Minister Alejandra Monteoliva stated that the homicide rate dropped from 4.4 every 100,000 residents in 2023 to 3.6 in 2025, the lowest figure in the country’s history. According to her, this adds to a “sustained reduction” in overall crimes during the past year. A security ministry statement added that there was also an 11% decrease in “homicides with female victims” in 2025, a category that does not differentiate between common murders and those that happened in a context of gender-based violence — more commonly referred to as femicides. The current administration has consistently questioned the concept of femicide. President Javier Milei has said it implies that “a woman’s life is more valuable than a man’s,” while former Justice Minister Mariano Cúneo Libarona had previously announced to remove it from the Criminal Code, arguing that doing so would “defend equality.” Femicides Teenager Agostina Vega was missing for a week before her remains were found in a field in Córdoba on Saturday. On Monday, the local prosecution office confirmed the case is being investigated as a femicide, with her mother’s ex-boyfriend as the only suspect. Last Thursday, the body of Dulce Candia, 17, was discovered in an abandoned construction site; she had last been seen 11 days earlier. On Saturday, the same day Agostina’s remains were found, Noelia Romero, 30, was brutally murdered in Temperley, Buenos Aires province, by her boyfriend Tomás Núñez, who tried to kill himself after. “I know perhaps it was not the best day to talk about crime statistics. I know. But we also have to show these meaningful figures,” Monteoliva said on Monday night in an interview with TV channel A24. “Every life counts. There were 35 fewer female murder victims than the previous year,” she said. According to a recent report from the Supreme Court — which registers ongoing femicide investigations — there were 200 femicide cases in 2025, dropping by 12.3% compared to the previous year, when they registered 228. “Complete truth” During a press conference earlier on Monday, Monteoliva called Agostina’s case “a homicide,” avoiding referring to it as a femicide. She also said that in this and all similar situations it was necessary to find “the complete truth,” although she did not clarify what she meant by this. “A homicide, whichever it may be, is not only what happens in the span of one or two hours when the action effectively happens,” Monteoliva said. “A situation like that reflects a complex history. The best step to move forward is to have the complete truth, even if it is painful.” The 11th yearly Ni Una Menos march against femicides and gender-based violence will take place on Wednesday, calling for justice for Agostina, Dulce, Noelia and all victims of femicide.