270 LGBT People Murdered in Colombia in 2025

For the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia, the Colombian human rights organization Caribe Afirmativo presented its report “A System that Fails: Prejudice, Violence, and Impunity Against LGBTQ+ People in Colombia.” The document recorded the highest level of hate crimes in the country in recent years.

In 2025, 270 LGBT people were murdered in Colombia. This means that, on average, a murder occurred every 32 hours. Violence continues to rise: there were 165 murders recorded in 2024, and 153 in 2023. Organization director Wilson Castañeda Castro told Agencia Presentes that “violence is not an isolated phenomenon, but is systematic and persistent.”

Most murders occurred in major cities: Bogotá, Medellín (Antioquia department), and Cali (Valle del Cauca department). Violence has also intensified in strategically important micro-trafficking corridors and areas controlled by illegal armed groups. Gay men and transgender women accounted for the largest number of murders, and the crimes were marked by extreme brutality.

Domestic and Sexual Violence

The most common form of aggression in 2025 was domestic violence, with 1,531 recorded cases. Castañeda Castro emphasized that homes and family relationships are often not safe spaces for LGBT people. In some cases, the aggressors were parents, grandparents, and guardians; in others, they were permanent partners.

More than 60% of domestic violence victims were lesbians (469 cases) and bisexual women (458 cases). There were also 399 cases against gay men, 109 against bisexual men, 16 against transgender men, 15 against transgender women, and 3 against non-binary people.

Sexual violence accounted for 628 cases. The majority of victims here were also women: bisexual women (246 cases) and lesbians (159 cases). The victims also included 126 gay men, 49 transgender men, 25 transgender women, and 16 bisexual men. The report’s authors concluded that sexual violence is accompanied by high levels of stigma and serves as a mechanism for corporal control and punishment of non-normative identities.

Threats and Territorial Control

During the year, human rights defenders recorded 1,184 threats against LGBT people who openly express their identity or engage in activism. These threats often come from state and non-state actors seeking to regulate the visibility of the community in specific territories. In some cases, threats precede murders.

Other registered incidents included 360 acts of discrimination, 108 cases of police violence, 17 forced disappearances, 10 episodes of human trafficking, and 3 cases of forced recruitment.

Digital Violence

The report documents an increase in online violence. Social networks, dating platforms, and messaging apps, where the LGBT movement historically took root, are no longer safe spaces. Digital violence threatens lives and often becomes a prelude to physical attacks. Neither the state nor digital service providers offer protection mechanisms that guarantee safety without compromising user privacy.

Lack of State Response

The year 2026 marks the tenth anniversary of the Colombian peace agreement, but the problem of violence against LGBT people has worsened rather than been resolved. The report highlights the inefficiency of state structures.

Despite commitments by the government and the prosecutor’s office to improve data collection systems, information about violence is often underreported or handled negligently. Currently, the documentation of crimes is done almost exclusively by non-profit organizations. Human rights defenders demand that the state accelerate investigations, implement structural public policies to prevent crimes, and ensure that the peace-building process includes respect for the lives of LGBT people.