Cuba has maintained a zero-tolerance policy for human trafficking – Escambrai

During 2021, 10 cases were prosecuted for crimes with typical features of human trafficking, which indicates a low incidence of this crime in the national territory

Cuba denounced last Friday that the United States’ breach of immigration agreements and the encouragement of illegal immigration put families at risk of human trafficking in third countries.

This was made clear in a report on the topic published on the website of the Caribbean island’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where it was certified that Havana maintains a “zero tolerance” policy regarding any form of human trafficking.

The document noted that during this period, many exchanges were made with the government and sectors of American society to address the work of the Cuban medical brigades, particularly in the midst of the COVID-19 epidemic and the administration’s defamatory policy. from the northern country.

The document revealed that at the stage, 10 cases were prosecuted for crimes with typical features of human trafficking, which indicates a low incidence of this crime in the national territory.

According to the information, criminal activity focused on the recruitment of young people, especially females, by foreign and Cuban businessmen, to provide services to bars and nightclubs in Turkey, Cyprus, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Japan, China, Russia and Mexico. and Nicaragua.

She adds that the number of foreigners interacting with young people in Cuba in exchange for gifts and phone recharges still exists, as well as online promotion and sale of videos and photos with sexual content, which are paid for through bank transfers from abroad and inside. Country.

In 2021, the implementation of the National Action Plan to Prevent and Combat Trafficking in Persons and Protection of Victims was extended for an additional year and the preparation of the new National Action Plan for the period 2022-2024 began.

The document adds that procedures for cooperation and timely exchange of information have been communicated with international organizations, the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), the United Nations system and counterpart organizations from countries in the region and Europe.

In the same way, specialized care for victims of trafficking as well as for those in situations of greater vulnerability has been maintained.

As a result of confrontational actions, 10 victims were identified, all of them girls, and the criminal penalties for the perpetrators ranged from 5 to 20 years in prison.

The report reviews the main activities of the central state administration agencies involved in the matter, including the Ministry of Justice, Interior and Foreign Affairs, Education, Public Health, Labor and Social Security, among others.

As possibilities for the largest of the Antilles, the text notes that prevention and response action plans are in place in each agency in which prevention, cooperation, victim care, training of officials and the general public are distinctive. risk.

Cuba has various legal instruments to prevent and address human trafficking and related behaviours, such as pandering, child pornography and prostitution, consistent with the spirit of the Palermo Convention and its protocols and other international instruments to which the Caribbean island is a signatory.