The president of the Commission for Attention to Youth, Children, and Equal Rights of Women of the Parliament of Cuba, Arelys Santana, today criticized the damage caused by the blockade of the United States.
During the debate on a proposed resolution on the role of parliaments in the fight against child trafficking in orphanages, as part of the 147th Assembly of the Interparliamentary Union, the Cuban representative said that his country supports the document that seeks to prevent this event.
In Cuba, nothing is more important than a child, emphasized Santana, who emphasized that although this is not an issue that happens on the island, the country supports all efforts in this regard and remains vigilant about possible demonstrations.
He pointed out, however, that the policy of the economic blockade of the US has the main effect on the full development of children in his country because it limits the lives of Cubans in all areas.
He thanked the parliamentarians of the world who every year join the island at the United Nations to condemn this cruel policy of Washington, which for more than six decades has affected the human rights of Cubans.
He reaffirmed that the Caribbean country is in favor of the resolution to prevent the trafficking of orphans, a phenomenon that we cannot tolerate.
Children are the future of the world, and we must protect them. As countries and as parliaments, we must adopt all measures to do so, said Santana.
He commented that the Cuban Constitution widely recognizes the rights of children, adolescents, and young people and that a year ago the country adopted a modern family code that expands and guarantees their rights.
He added that the Cuban institutions dedicated to the care of minors without family protection receive a small number of infants who, due to different social situations, cannot be with their families, and there they take care of them as if they were their own children. He explained that it is the responsibility of the government, particularly the Ministry of Education, to be the guarantors of children’s rights and valued the work of these institutions as a beautiful work.
Parliamentarians of different nationalities called for the debate to eliminate the weaknesses that lead to the trafficking of orphans and other violations of their rights.
According to the estimates presented at the session, around eight million children around the world live in institutions, including those called orphanages, which do not meet all their needs nor do they always protect their rights. In addition, approximately 80 percent of them are not true orphans but have at least one parent.
The draft resolution calls on parliaments to take all the necessary actions to reform national laws to prevent trafficking in orphanages because not all states have the necessary legal framework to combat it, the budget or experience, or the technical and human resources to deal with the problem.
