The Government of the United States maintained this Tuesday To Cuba on its “black list” of human trafficking, international media report.
Along with the Island, its allies Venezuela and Nicaragua were once again included, which in Washington’s opinion also fail to meet the standards set by US law against this phenomenon, which establishes methods to prevent it and protect the victims.
This is stated by the State Department in its 2022 Trafficking in Persons Report, where it reviews the situation worldwide, the agency refers EFEaccording to which the list includes 19 other countries such as China, North Korea, Syria, Iran, Russia and Belarus.
Today we released the 2022 Trafficking in Persons Report, which is meant to effect positive change and encourage governments to increase and improve their anti-trafficking efforts each year. Read it here: https://t.co/dRZXon7fRg #EndHumanTrafficking pic.twitter.com/AEhtoWyDAH
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) July 19, 2022
Regarding the particular case of Cuba, the US report indicates that, “despite the lack of significant efforts,” the Island Government has taken some steps to address human trafficking, such as the investigation, prosecution and conviction of traffickers. .
However, as in the last five years, the United States affirms that human traffickers “exploit” national and foreign victims in Cuba, while maintaining that in the period studied there was a “government policy or employer of benefit” of the export programs for workers “with strong indications” of forced labor.
The report points EFE, assures that Havana “continued to deploy Cuban workers in foreign countries using deceptive and coercive tactics” and without addressing “labor violations and trafficking crimes.” In addition, it highlights “the growing number of allegations” by NGOs, former participants in these missions and foreign governments about the alleged involvement of Cuban officials in these “abuses.”
The US accuses Cuba of not informing the participants in these programs about the terms of their contracts, which varied from country to country; to confiscate their passports, professional credentials and salaries; and of threatening health professionals and their families if they left those missions.
This is an argument raised by Washington since the previous government of Donald Trump, which has been repeatedly denied by Havana, which defends the “humanistic and supportive” value of its Health collaborations, and ensures that such accusations by the US. They are part of a “campaign of discredit and lies” against the island’s medical cooperation.
Cuba, which has sent thousands of health workers throughout the world and, in particular, numerous brigades to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, affirms that it maintains a “zero tolerance” policy with regard to human trafficking, and combats it both in its territory and at the international level, through cooperation with organizations such as Interpol and the United Nations.
EFE / OnCuba
