Madrid, Jan 2 (EFE).- A Spanish non-governmental organization said on Tuesday that Cuba, Spain, Italy and Qatar had missed a deadline for responding to a letter from the United Nations rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, Tomoya Obokata, asking for explanations about alleged abuses suffered by Cuban health workers and other professionals working in Italy, Qatar and Spain.
The letter was sent on Nov. 2, but neither the Cuban authorities nor the other three countries responded within the 60-day deadline, the NGO Prisoners Defenders said in a press release arguing that the UN would have published the responses if it had received any.
The NGO says that it collaborated with the United Nations Cuba Desk in drafting an initial complaint, which was studied in detail by the Special Rapporteur on Slavery and the Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons, who issued a first accusatory communication to Cuba in November 2019.
On Jan. 3, 2020, the Cuban state «categorically» denied «any human rights violations that have occurred in the framework of international cooperation missions.»
However, the UN Rapporteur on Slavery said in the 2023 letter that he had learned that many of the concerns raised in the previous communication «persist,» and reiterated his «concern» about the alleged violations of the fundamental rights of Cuban workers in temporary migration programs and missions.
According to the UN rapporteur «The freedom of movement of workers would continue to be restricted and monitored by the Cuban Government in the contracting countries. In addition, some workers would be subjected to sexual harassment or violence, threats and/or physical violence. Abuses would generally be committed by employers, legal advisors, mission directors, managers, officials and administrators.»
According to recent information received by the Rapporteur, Cuban professionals in various fields of work (including medical and health services, teachers, sailors, engineers, artists, musicians, athletes and architects) participating in «internationalization missions» in Spain, Italy, Qatar and a cruise ship company called MSC Cruceros have had their passports confiscated, been subjected to curfews and had to surrender up to 90% of their salaries to the Cuban government and the Cuban Communist Party. EFE
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