Solicitud directa (CEACR) - Adopción: 2025, Publicación: 114ª reunión CIT (2026)

Convenio sobre el trabajo forzoso, 1930 (núm. 29) - Cuba (Ratificación : 1953)

Articles 1(1), 2(1) and 25 of the Convention. Trafficking in persons. (i) National Plan of Action. With reference to the results achieved in the context of the various plans implemented to combat trafficking in persons, the Government indicates in its report that joint action by State bodies and the activities undertaken are described in the national reports of Cuba for 2023 and 2024 on action to prevent and address trafficking in persons and for the protection of victims. According to these reports, the work of the competent bodies and institutions was targeted at: strengthening the prevention and detection of trafficking; making the real situation with regard to trafficking more visible with a focus on its gender aspects; increasing awareness of the risk among the population; increasing their participation in raising the alarm concerning this crime; and improving training on trafficking in persons for professionals and workers. Specialized and further training was carried out in various sectors, including the justice system (judges, prosecutors and investigators), the tourism, education and health sectors, and diplomatic staff, with the objective of strengthening professional capacities for the detection, prevention and action to combat trafficking in persons and the protection of victims.

The Committee also notes that Decision No. 94-X of 2023 of the Council of State approved the National Plan of Action to Prevent and Address Trafficking in Persons and Protect Victims for the period 2023–26, which includes the objectives of: (i) strengthening the prevention and detection of trafficking; (ii) protecting and assisting victims; (iii) gathering, processing and disseminating reliable information on trafficking in persons; (iv) actively challenging traffickers and their accomplices, promoting coordination and cooperation between State institutions, civil society and communities; and (v) promoting international cooperation.

The Committee notes that, according to the 2022 and 2023 national reports, specialized support has been maintained for the victims identified, as well as the most vulnerable people, such as children, women, older persons and persons with disabilities.

The Committee further notes that, according to the Global Report on Trafficking in Persons 2024 of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), there were ten reported victims of trafficking in persons in 2021. There were six victims of trafficking in persons for sexual exploitation in 2022. All the victims reported were nationals of Cuba. The Committee also notes that, in its concluding observations in 2024, the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women expressed concern at: the insufficient support services for victims of trafficking and the absence of specialized long-term shelters; the insufficient efforts to prevent the exploitation of prostitution of women and girls in tourist areas; the lack of a comprehensive law on trafficking in persons; and the heightened risk of sex trafficking and exploitation of prostitution in the case of women of African descent, rural women, women with disabilities and women living in poverty (CEDAW/C/CUB/CO/9).

The Committee requests the Government to intensify its efforts to combat trafficking in persons, especially in sectors that are at risk, such as tourism. In this regard, the Committee requests the Government to provide information on the measures adopted for the implementation of the National Plan of Action to Address and Prevent Trafficking in Persons and Protect Victims (2023–26), with an indication of the results achieved and the difficulties encountered in the process of its follow-up and evaluation.

The Committee also requests the Government to provide information on the functions and activities carried out by the Working Group to Prevent and Address Trafficking in Persons and Assist Victims, with an indication of the manner in which a gender focus has been included in its action, policies and specialized support mechanisms for victims, as well as on the victims identified, specifying the number that have received assistance and the type of support provided.

(ii) Prosecution and application of penal sanctions. The Committee notes that, according to the national reports, six cases of crimes with characteristics that are typical of trafficking in persons were brought to the courts in 2022 and 14 cases of crimes associated with trafficking in persons in 2023. The cases that were judged in 2021 and 2022 were principally related to the activities of procuring and the corruption of minors with characteristics that are typical of trafficking in persons. The Committee requests the Government to continue its efforts to strengthen the capacities of the competent authorities to identify and investigate cases of trafficking in persons, both for sexual exploitation and labour exploitation. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the number of investigations and court procedures that are ongoing or have been concluded in relation to cases of trafficking in persons (section 363(1) of the Penal Code), and on the number of convictions, with an indication of the type of penalties applied.