HAVANA.- The Special Rapporteur of United Nations on contemporary forms of slavery demanded for the third time a response from the Cuban State to the accusations about “alleged abuses of human rights ” suffered by medical personnel and other health professionals Cuba who participate in “internationalization missions”.
In a letter addressed to the Cuban regime, dated November 2, 2023, the Special Rapporteur, Tomoya Obokata, indicated that “recent information received contradicts on many points” that provided by Cuba in a previous communication, so he considered it appropriate to follow up. to “lingering concerns.”
“I would like to reiterate my concern about the alleged abuses of fundamental rights, including the right to privacy, liberty, freedom of expression and association, and freedom of movement of Cuban professionals in temporary migration programs and missions in contracting countries,” stressed the UN rapporteur.
The demand of the United Nations Special Rapporteur comes in response to the complaint that the organization Prisoners Defenders had presented to that body in May 2019.
“The accusation by which the UN accuses Cuba of slavery emphasizes the threats, harassment and sexual violence against doctors, nurses and professionals, 50,000 of them, by Cuban officials.“, says Prisoners Defenders in a report published on its website.
In the letter addressed to the regime, the Special Rapporteur maintains that the Cuban State continues to subject its professionals, sent to missions abroad (including doctors and health personnel, teachers, sailors, engineers, artists, musicians, athletes and architects) to conditions exploitative labor.
“The salaries of Cuban personnel would be considered inadequate because they do not allow them to sustain a decent life, and are usually below the average salary of working people in the respective destination countries. Likewise, the confiscation of passports would continue and curfews would persist in some countries,” the letter adds.
The information sent to this UN rapporteur also highlights that the freedom of movement of workers continues to be restricted and monitored by the Cuban regime in the contracting countries. It also mentions that “some workers would be subjected to sexual harassment or violence, threats and/or physical violence”, and that these abuses would generally be committed by employers, legal advisors, mission directors, managers, officials and administrators.
The letter details the disadvantageous conditions offered in contracts to Cuban professionals, which would include a “return clause”, low salary remuneration, payment of fees and commissions to the Communist Party, subrogation to Cuban legislation even if the professionals work in other countries. , falsification of contracts and signature by Cuban officials, instead of the workers, and personal impositions such as the obligation to give birth in Cuba and preventing workers from obtaining residency in the destination countries, among others.
Complicities
In addition to Cuba, the special rapporteur pointed out in the letter the governments of Spain, Italy and Qatar, as well as the company MSC Malta Seafarers Company Limited. None of the four states involved in the reported violations have offered a response to the UN’s concerns.
“This United Nations accusation brings to light very serious violations: from forced labor, contemporary slavery, harassment, sexual violence and threats, to physical violence. Once again it is evident that the Cuban regime systematically and with impunity violates the human rights of its people,” declared Dita Charanzová, Vice President of the European Parliament.
“From the European Parliament we must support this effort by the United Nations and Prisoners Defenders and follow the case very closely,” he added.
The president of Prisoners Defenders, Javier Larrondo, For his part, he pointed out that while artistic, sporting, medical and other services from Cuba are brought to Spain and Europe through Cuban companies, the citizens and spectators of these countries “do not know that they are going to attend sporting and artistic activities, and receive services, from professionals in a state of forced labor and slavery, with confiscated passports, without the minimum freedoms, and that if they decided to stay in Spain they would be accused of ‘deserters’ and would be sentenced to 8 years without being able to see their children again in Cuba. “.
The regime denies accusations related to enslaving and coercive practices against professionals working in brigades abroad.
In January 2020, the Permanent Mission of Cuba to the UN said that “no type of pressure or retaliation is applied to those who do not wish to participate in medical cooperation missions.” However, the Office of the Special Rapporteur points out in the letter that, “we were informed that many of the workers were not participating voluntarily in said missions, but rather under coercion” by the authorities.
Other factors, such as acute poverty and limited sources of employment, would also lead many professionals to take part in international missions, added the Office of the Special Rapporteur.
Source: With information from martinoticias.com / prisonersdefender.org
