MIAMI, United States. – The US Government implemented new sanctions against the Cuban regime due to its failure to comply with minimum international standards in the fight against human trafficking. This was announced by President Joe Biden in a presidential memorandum issued this September 30.
In this document, it is specified that, during fiscal year 2025, the United States will not provide non-humanitarian or trade-related assistance to a series of countries, including Cuba, until the governments involved take action. to meet the minimum standards of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA).
In addition to the Cuban regime, the others sanctioned are VenezuelaRussia, Iran, Nicaragua, North Korea and Eritrea.
The measure also includes a prohibition on financing the participation of officials or employees of these countries in educational and cultural exchange programs.
The inclusion of Cuba on the list of sanctioned countries is based on the inability of the island’s regime to adopt effective policies that combat human trafficking. In the memo, Biden also instructed US representatives at multilateral development banks and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to vote against any loans or uses of funds that benefit the targeted governments. However, humanitarian aid and funds intended for basic needs that are not administered by the sanctioned governments or confer direct benefits to them are exempt from this prohibition.
The sanctions imposed not only limit Cuba’s access to international funds, but also restrict the participation of its officials in educational and cultural programs organized or financed by the United States.
In the case of Cuba, criticism focuses on the lack of transparency and the government’s inaction to eradicate labor and sexual exploitation practices, particularly in programs that involve sending Cuban doctors to so-called “international missions.” This program has been criticized by various human rights organizations, which describe it as a form of “forced labor” or “modern slavery,” since doctors sent to these missions usually receive only a fraction of the agreed salary, while the Cuban Government retains most of their income, as well as their passports.
Additionally, cases of labor exploitation have been documented in which Cuban workers have been sent to international projects without the necessary legal protections. In this way, they have been exposed to inadequate working conditions.
Although the island’s regime has not issued an immediate official response to the sanctions announced by Biden, on other occasions it has described US measures as “unfair” and has argued that the sanctions are a form of economic aggression that seeks to destabilize the country. Cuban authorities have repeatedly denied accusations of human trafficking and have defended their medical mission programs abroad as an example of “international solidarity.”
For its part, the White House has indicated that it will continue to impose sanctions on those governments that do not comply with international standards in this area and that do not make significant efforts to eradicate human trafficking.
