The US again accuses Cuba of human trafficking in the so-called “internationalist missions”

The United States again accused Cuba of “human trafficking”, days after a Cuban dissident and several NGOs denounced to the UN for slavery the so-called “internationalist missions” Cubans.

“#Forced Labor is Human Trafficking”, affirms in a tweet the head of US diplomacy for the Americas Brian Nichols. Days before, Secretary of State Antony Blinken already cited Cuba among the countries involved in human trafficking.

“The Cuban regime withholds passports, confiscates wages, and restricts the movement of its workers abroad. We must work together to combat labor exploitation“, Add Nichols.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez affirmed on January 26, also in a tweet, that the US accusations “they seek to tarnish the solidarity effort of Cuban medical cooperation, which saves lives and whose unquestionable merits are recognized by the international community”.

At the end of January the Cuban dissident Joseph Daniel Ferrer and several NGOs filed a complaint against Cuba before the UN and expanded, with new evidence, the one they filed in 2019 before the International Criminal Court (CPI) for slavery and forced labor.

Cuba sells services to third countries through so-called “internationalist missions” which include seafaring jobs and medical, health, teaching, engineering, art, music and architecture activities.

Since at least 2005 they have been the main source of income for the Cuban communist regime abroad: in 2018 they represented between 40% and 50% of its balance of payments abroad, says Prisoners Defenders, one of the complainant entities.

The NGO states that in 2018 they amounted to US$ 8.5 billion worldwide and that between 50,000 and 100,000 people participate in these missions each year. Cuban authorities maintain that they reached US$6.3 billion.

The eight year law

Under the Cuban penal code, the employee who fulfills a mission abroad is exposed to a prison sentence of three to eight years if he leaves his job or if he refuses to return once finished or in the event that he Ask him.

Of the 1,111 cases included in the complaint, 894 are protected testimonies and 217 are public. All of them have suffered the prohibition of eight years, despite the fact that a good part had or has minor children.

“Today, between 5,000 and 10,000 Cuban parents cannot see their children for eight years due to this law procedure in Cuba”, protests Prisoners Defenders.

“Thousands of prohibitions including spying on your social networks, friends, lifestyle, communication with family and repression against family when leaving the mission”, affirms a testimony quoted by the NGO.

“As payment for the studies we had to compulsorily fulfill these missions”, denounces another.

The case of cruise ships is one of the most striking. The complainants claim that the company MSC Malta Seafarers Company Limited he hires them through a Cuban agent, the Selecmar company.

In the documents delivered by the professionals who have testified, it is indicated that Selecmar can appropriate 80% of the base salary of Cuban sailors.

On the boats, according to testimonies collected by Prisoners Defendersthe company MSC Malta Seafarers withholds the passports of these workers to prevent them from “they escape”.

According to the declarants, MSC would receive a fine of “US$10,000 for each Cuban who escapes.”

The base salary of these workers ranges between US$77 and US$95 and Selecmar keeps 80% of it, according to the contract documents with the MSC company delivered by the victims to Prisoners Defenders.

According Prisoners Defendersthe contracts differ according to the sector and the country, but they have common characteristics: personal limitations such as the obligation to give birth in Cuba in case of pregnancy, a liquid net remuneration of 15% of what the countries pay for them and a mandatory return to Cuba clause.

In addition, the document adds, they must be signed by officials on behalf of the ministry on which the activity depends, subrogation to Cuban law is required and many must pay fees to the Communist Party.

The complainants claim to have already won the special procedure with 110 testimonies presented in 2019 before the UN.