In an unusual movement, two official organizations, the Federation of Cuban Women (FMC) and the National Center for Sex Education (Cenesex), have supported the complaints of several women against the musician Fernando Becquer for alleged sexual abuse, which occurred according to their testimony between 2002 and 2012.
The FMC published this Sunday a message on its Facebook account sharing a blog post Horizons in which it was announced that the writer Elaine Vilar Madruga filed a formal accusation against Bécquer for alleged sexual abuse when she was 17 years old.
“For the FMC nothing is alien to it, much less when it comes to defending women’s rights. Guiding and accompanying women, in each process has been a priority for the women’s organization,” the organization wrote accompanied by the hashtags # FMCPorLaNoViolenciaDeGender and #StrategiaIntegral.
This last label, as well as the coincidence with other associations such as Cenesex and even the Pablo de la Torriente Brau Cultural Center, which a priori support the complaints of women for sexual harassment, indicate a radical change in attitude on the part of organizations government members, widely criticized for their apathy in defending women. Until now, this type of policy had only been maintained by independent movements such as the Yo si te Creo Cuba platform, which also reacted immediately in the case of Bécquer, claiming to believe the alleged victims.
The independent magazine The sneeze posted last week a report with testimonies of five young people that they accused the musician, in a very detailed way, for different episodes of abuse between 10 and 20 years ago. The singer-songwriter denied the accusations and called them “slander.” “I don’t believe anything, I believe in the Revolution,” he assured at the end of a concert In the Habana.
Until now, this type of policy had only been maintained by independent movements such as the Yo si te Creo Cuba platform, which also reacted immediately in the case of Bécquer, claiming to believe the alleged victims
The events coincided in time with the diffusion of the new Comprehensive strategy for the prevention and care of gender violence and in the family setting in which the Government establishes a set of objectives and actions against sexist violence in which it foresees that different associations will be involved, among which were, precisely, those that now support the complainants, leaving the singer only defending his presumption of innocence.
“We consider it legitimate for the voices of victims of sexual violence to be raised and we put at their disposal the legal orientation and sexual orientation and therapy services that our institution has had for more than 10 years,” Cenesex said this Saturday to through a post on their social networks.
The center, led by deputy Mariela Castro, also asked the press to publish “responsible, informed and advised information” to avoid revictimizing these women and increasing their pain.
The case is causing a strong controversy also because the magazine that uncovered the complaints is independent. “What matters least here is the political stance of the digital newspaper that first paid attention to them and published them, nor does the ideological stance of the person who committed the acts matter. To emphasize that is to divert attention,” said the Cultural Center. Pablo de la Torriente Brau.
In the FMC’s own publication, a commentator has judged the support offered to female complainants to be an error in case this is interpreted as an attack on the ruling party “This biased position is not acceptable. Respect due process! You are committing a serious mistake that it will be used against Cuba. This denies the rule of law proclaimed in the Constitution, “says one user.
“Biased position? Isn’t that the role of the FMC to defend, exalt and accompany Cuban women? I don’t know, you should review yourself, this comment is not very revolutionary on your part,” he received in response.
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