Human Trafficking in Cuba: Denial Is a River in Havana

by Amanda Kloer · 2009-12-30 07:00:00 UTC
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Every year, the U.S. State Department releases a Trafficking in Persons report which rates countries on their efforts to combat human trafficking.  Each week, I'll be providing a brief glance at human trafficking in one of those countries, based off the 2009 Trafficking in Persons Report, with my own (often snarky) analysis added.  This is just a snapshot of what's going on in the country.  For more information, you can check out the full text of the 2009 Trafficking in Persons Report here.

This Week's Country ...  Cuba

Basic Info

The U.S. State Department ranks Cuba on Tier 3, meaning that there's less government effort to address human trafficking than there are 14-year-olds with Copacabana on their iPods' heavy rotation. Aye de mi! And much like Cuba's fearless leader, modern-day slavery stubbornly refuses to die a natural and timely death. Due to the government's continued denial of the problem, Cuba is primarily a source country for trafficking victims trafficked internally, especially for commercial sex. So does Cuba have the political and economic stability to truly tackle trafficking? Over Fidel's dead body. Or Raul's. Really, nothing will happen until a reformist and more open leader comes to Cuba.

Who Are the Victims and What Are They Doing?

Cuban women and girls are trafficked internally for commercial sex, including a number of children who are forced by their families to exchange sex for food, money, or gifts. While reports of sex trafficking exist, the full scope of human trafficking in Cuba is difficult to judge. The closed government provides almost no information on forced and child labor issues and has actively blocked outsiders from learning about human rights abuses. Based on reports of human trafficking in both neighboring countries and countries with similar political structures, I'd be surprised if there was no labor trafficking problem in Cuba.

Where Are They Coming From and Where Are They Going?

While most Cuban victims are trafficked internally, some voluntarily migrate to the U.S. and are trafficked once there. Cuban victims in the U.S. have been subjected to both forced labor and foced prostitution.

What's Gotta Happen?

Cuba needs to acknowledge that child sex trafficking and human trafficking in general exist, because right now Denial is a river in Havana. After acknowledging the problem, Cuba then needs to learn how to identify victims and what to do to help victims rebuild their lives after trafficking. They also need to increase training for law enforcement. But until someone admits there is a problem, there is only so much Cuba can do to help itself.

Photo credit: hoyasmeg

Amanda Kloer is a Change.org Editor and has been a full-time abolitionist in several capacities for seven years. Follow her on Twitter @endhumantraffic
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