Just 12 people were tried in Cuba last year for human trafficking. It is the lowest amount in recent years, predictably influenced by the pandemic. Of the 10 cases that came to court in 2021, eight were for corruption of minors and two for pimping and human trafficking, all of them in the form of sexual exploitation. The years 2019 and 2020 15 cases were tried, while in 2018 the cases were 21 and in 2017, 20.
The authorities made their annual report public last Friday, this time coinciding with the vote on the resolution against the US embargo in the United Nations General Assembly. In it they insist that the low level of trafficking crimes that occur in the country are thanks to the “zero tolerance” policy maintained by the Government.
In addition to the cases tried on the island, the document places the follow-up of Cubans persecuted by Interpol for human trafficking crimes at eight, five by Cuba, two by Ecuador and one by Chile.
In addition to the cases tried on the island, the document places the follow-up of Cubans persecuted by Interpol for human trafficking crimes at eight, five by Cuba, two by Ecuador and one by Chile. The text mentions the multitude of agreements that it maintains with different countries to prosecute this type of case, as well as the national action plans and in cooperation with supranational organizations.
A A large part of the report emphasizes separating medical missions from the crime of human trafficking. “Attempts by the United States to discredit Cuba’s international cooperation by qualifying medical cooperation as a manifestation of human trafficking have been vigorously denounced in the main multilateral bodies and in other areas of foreign policy, including bilateral exchanges,” he says. The document.
The text argues that the State Department report, by “unjustifiably” including Cuba in a level 3 for this consideration, is harming the country, by putting obstacles to the “development of exchange actions.” It also adds that the US document is “fraudulent, unilateral and arbitrary” and includes threats against the countries that maintain medical cooperation programs with the Island, in addition to influencing public opinion to reject those plans. “This also has negative repercussions on the population of those countries, which, under these pressures, is left without medical attention.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, responsible for preparing the document, argues, on the contrary, that the reinforcement of medical personnel to many countries allows the identification of cases of trafficking that escape in communities that live in remote areas lacking health professionals specialized in detecting this type of behaviors.
“The context of covid-19 in the world did not limit the support of the Cuban medical brigades to those most in need,” the report states. “It was supported in 59 countries on all continents. Henry Reeve brigades were sent to 41 nations, where Cuban professionals have joined the more than 28,000 collaborators who were already working in them before the start of the pandemic,” he adds.
In January 2022, the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, pointed to Havana when referring to the places that facilitate this type of crime. “We have to find more ways to put effective pressure on the governments that engage in or enable human trafficking: China, Cuba, North Korea and Russia,” he said in a statement.
The United States noted, however, that “despite the lack of significant efforts,” the Government of Cuba took some steps to address human trafficking, such as the investigation, prosecution and conviction of traffickers
The US noted, however, that “despite the lack of significant efforts,” the Cuban government has taken some steps to address human trafficking, such as investigating, prosecuting, and sentencing traffickers.
However, the missions are the problem between the two countries, since Washington, like several international organizations, considers that there is a “government policy or benefit pattern” of the worker export programs “with strong indications” of ” forced labor”.
Cuban doctors who work abroad receive around 20% of the expected salary for each of them, passing the rest to the State, which ensures that it must be kept for having trained them. In addition, the health workers have their documentation and passport withheld so that they cannot leave the rest of the group and they are pressured not to interact with the local population or carry out activities to promote the Revolution, among other things.
The penalties for Leave a medical mission are sanctioned with deprivation of freedom from two to five years according to the current Penal Code, and for eight years they are prohibited from returning to the country.
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