[NYTr] Cuba's REAL record on child prostitution

[nytr at olm.blythe-systems.com]

sent by Karen Wald (cubanews) - July 29, 2004

What Cuba has REALLY said and done about child prostitution

(Excerpts from Isaac Saney's book]

[Following are the excerpts I promised you from Isaac Saney's book "Cuba:
Revolution in Motion," which W's researchers and speechwriters COULD HAVE
drawn on if they'd had the slightest interest in representing what Cuba is
actually doing about this situation. Thanks to Isaac for sending it. kw]


The emergence of prostitution in the 1990s, against the backdrop of the
island's extensive development of tourism, has elicited much discussion.
President Castro has outlined the associated problems on several occasions:

"Our country is already being visited by nearly two million tourists
[annually]. In general, these are respectable people, mostly Canadians and
Europeans with exemplary behaviour. But there are always visitors, from
various places, who travel for sex. Our people, particularly our children
and teenagers must be protected, all the more so since the outbreak of
diseases such as AIDS has led unscrupulous people seeking safe pleasure to
believe that eleven, ten, eight- or seven-year-old boys or girls pose a
lower threat than an adult. And there is always someone willing to push such
services. We have also hardened our sentences against procuring,
particularly against the corruption of minors. All the gold in the world is
worth less than the purity and dignity of a Cuban boy or girl." (Castro
2000: 243-44).

Cuban lawmakers have opted to not criminalize prostitution but, rather, to
focus on sexual procurement (i.e., pimping) by increasing the penalties. The
sentence for pimping was increased to four to ten years, increasing to seven
to fifteen years if minors are involved. Prison sentences were increased for
the corruption of minors in an effort to stop the activities of sex
offenders and paedophiles. The penalty for paedophilia was set at fifteen to
thirty years.

Several foreigners are serving prison sentences for sex offences with
minors. For example, a Canadian from the city of Edmonton was sentenced to
twenty-five years for sexual corruption of a fourteen-year-old girl (Reuters
2003). It should be noted that Cuban criminal law confers special protection
on minors. It not only identifies specific offences (corruption of minors)
but also establishes heavier penalties for other offences (against property,
drug trafficking, sexual abuse, etc.) involving or directed against minors.
Additionally, the provisions in the code are augmented by a children's and
juveniles' code (Salas 1979: 14-41).

References

Fidel Castro, 2000. Capitalism in Crisis: Globalization and World Politics
Today. Melbourne: Ocean Press.

"Ley 87 Modificacio?n Co?digo Penal Extraordinaria No. 1. 1999." Gaceta
Oficial de la Republica de Cuba. Havana: Ministerio de Justicia.

Reuters. 2003. "Canadian Jailed for 25 Years in Cuba for Sex Crime." April
28.

Louis Salas. 1979. Social Control and Deviance in Cuba. New York: Praeger

Isaac Saney
Transition Year Program
College of Continuing Education
Dalhousie University &
International Development Studies
Saint Mary's University
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
http://www.canadiannetworkoncuba.ca/Documents/Saney2003.shtml