Experts of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women Praise Cuba’s High Percentage of Women in Parliament, Ask about Measures to Address Sex Trafficking[...]

The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women today considered the ninthperiodic report of Cuba, with Committee Experts praising the State's high percentage of women in Parliament, and asking about measures to protect women and girls from sex trafficking and reduce the burden of unpaid care work on women. Committee Experts also discussed the impact that the United States' economic blockade had on Cuban women's rights.

A Committee Expert welcomed that Cuba currently had one of the highest rates of female participation in Parliament worldwide.

Rhoda Reddock, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for Cuba, raised the issue of the economic blockade on Cuba by the United States, which she said was estimated to have cost Cuba a significant percentage of its gross domestic product. Had the State party had been able to address all the challenges that came with the blockade?

One Committee Expert said there were concerning reports of sexual abuse of girls in the tourism industry and of criminalisation of women victims of sex trafficking. When would the State party adopt a comprehensive law on trafficking with clear provisions on prevention and reparation for victims?

Another Expert said women spent twice as much time doing domestic and care work compared to men, and there had been successive cuts to social care programmes. How did the State party intend to sustain these programmes?

Introducing the report, Inés María Chapman Waugh, Deputy Prime Minister of Cuba and head of the delegation, said women accounted for 56 per cent of members of Cuba's Parliament, the second highest percentage in the world. Around 80 per cent of judges in the judiciary were women; eight in every 10 prosecutors were women; and women made up 60 per cent of university graduates. The State also had a high representation of women in its science and technology sector, she noted.

Ms. Chapman Waugh said the United States' financial blockage against Cuba was a flagrant violation of the rights of Cubans and it had disproportionately affected women. It had led to devastating shortages in medication, food and energy. Progress in distributing the human papilloma virus vaccine, for example, had been hampered by the blockade.

The delegation said Cuba had a zero-tolerance policy regarding all forms of trafficking. Trafficking in persons had been included as a crime in the Criminal Code, as had forced labour. The State did not criminalise women victims of trafficking. Detection and combatting systems were in place in the tourism industry.

The Government was calling for fair distribution of household and care work between men and women, the delegation said. A recent decree on the national care system provided for a more equitable approach to care. The State was training carers to provide formalised care for the aging population and raising awareness about the need for men and women to spend equal time on care duties.

In closing remarks, Ms. Chapman Waugh said Cuba valued the recommendations of the Committee, which would be scrutinised with due rigour. The Government was committed to implementing the Convention and promoting women's rights. It would do its utmost to achieve its goals in this regard, despite the economic blockade imposed by the United States.

Ana Peláez Narváez, Committee Chair, in concluding remarks, said that the Committee commended Cuba for its efforts and called on the State party to implement the Committee's recommendations for better implementation of the Convention for the benefit of all women and girls in the State.

The delegation of Cuba consisted of representatives from the National Assembly of People's Power; Ministry of Justice; National Secretariat of the Federation of Cuban Women; Ministry of Education; University of Havana; Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and the Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations Office at Geneva.

The Committee will issue the concluding observations on the report of Cuba at the end of its eighty-ninth session on 25 October. All documents relating to the Committee's work, including reports submitted by States parties, can be found on the session's webpage. Meeting summary releases can be found here. The webcast of the Committee's public meetings can be accessed via the UN Web TV webpage.

The Committee will next meet in public at 10 a.m. on Monday, 21 October toconsider the fifth periodic report of Benin (CEDAW/C/BEN/5).

Report

The Committee has before it the ninth periodic report of Cuba (CEDAW/C/CUB/9).

Presentation of Report

INÉS MARÍA CHAPMAN WAUGH, Deputy Prime Minister of Cuba and head of the delegation, said gender equality and the eradication of all forms of violence against women were objectives that Cuba and the Committee shared. Almost 80 per cent of the Committee's recommendations from the last review had been complied with. Cuba was steadfastly committed to complying with its obligations under the Convention.

Since 2019, Cuba had undergone a far-reaching process to strengthen its legislative framework. The 2019 Constitution promoted the right to equality and the prohibition of discrimination. Direct and indirect discrimination had been prohibited in the Criminal Code. The newly adopted Family Code defended women's rights, permitted same-sex marriage, and set the age of marriage at 18.

The national programme for the advancement of women was implemented in 2021. It included 46 measures promoting women's advancement and established a follow-up mechanism to ensure its implementation. Under the programme, the State party adopted polices to promote the inclusion of women in the labour market. Around 250 creches had been established to support working women.

A Cuban association for persons with disabilities had been established, and the social assistance programme provided support for the children of women with disabilities. Around one quarter of women were self-employed. The State's unemployment rate was low, at around two per cent. Six decree laws were recently adopted that promoted the protection of women working in the private sector. The national response to the COVID-19 pandemic included benefits provided to working women and women who lost their jobs. Over 60 per cent of persons who coordinated COVID-19 vaccination development in Cuba were women.

Women accounted for 56 per cent of members of Parliament, the second highest percentage in the world. In the Supreme Court, women accounted for 53 per cent of judges, while around 80 per cent of judges in the judiciary were women. Eight in every 10 prosecutors were women. Women made up 60 per cent of university graduates. The State also had a high representation of women in its science and technology sector. Care services accounted for a high percentage of the State budget. The State party continued to work to collect cross-cutting and intersectoral data on women.

Cuba had developed robust legislation and a national action plan to tackle gender-based violence. It addressed direct and indirect violence in all settings. In 2022, the murder of women was specifically criminalised in the Criminal Code. Education measures played a key role in preventing gender-based violence in the State. In the coming days, Cuba would set up a data mechanism that would provide real-time information about violent deaths of women and girls, and a hotline for reporting violence against women. Measures would also be implemented to address the disproportionate burden of care placed on women.

The United States had been imposing a financial blockage against Cuba for several decades. This was a flagrant violation of the rights of Cubans and it had disproportionately affected women. It had led to devastating shortages in medication, food and energy. Progress in distributing the human papilloma virus vaccine, for example, had been hampered by the blockade.

The Government was working to address macho stereotypes, and support women's access to health, education and land. Measures were implemented to support the many rural women who were engaged in low paid or unpaid work. Programmes had also been implemented to address the high prevalence of teenage pregnancies. Cuba promoted women's bodily autonomy and allowed women to decide regarding abortion.

Seventy per cent of the people murdered in the Gaza Strip were women and girls. Ms. Chapman Waugh appealed for peace in the Middle East.

Cuba, on the basis of its international commitments and in spite of the blockade placed upon it, would continue to do its best to implement the Convention and protect the rights of all women in its territory.

Questions by a Committee Expert

RHODA REDDOCK, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for Cuba, congratulated Cuba on its achievements over the years. Cuba was the first country to sign and the second to ratify the Convention, and several Cuban experts had served on the Committee. The economic blockade on Cuba by the United States had been in place since the 1960s. It was estimated to have cost Cuba a significant percentage of its gross domestic product. Cuba had also been added to the United States' list of States that sponsored terrorism, further hindering Cuba's access to resources. Women were worst affected by this situation. They were forced to spend most of their time working to obtain resources to support their families, and more than one million women and girls had fled the State to seek a better life.

Ms. Reddock welcomed that the State party had introduced several laws to address discrimination and violence against women. It was also promising that a National Ombudsperson's Office had recently been established.

The death penalty remained in place for more than 20 offences. Were there plans to implement a moratorium? The July 2021 protests against increasing shortages of fuel and food were met with disproportionately violent responses by State agents. Many women protesters reportedly remained in detention. There were also reports of poor conditions for women in Cuban prisons. Were there plans to release the women protesters detained since 2021? Was there a right of appeal for detained protestors? What was the status of the National Ombudsperson? Had it received complaints from women?

Another Committee Expert welcomed efforts by the State party to disseminate the Convention and provide training for State agents on the Convention. What concrete steps had been taken to enhance women's awareness of their rights under the Convention? How was the Committee disseminating the Convention among politicians and the judiciary? What was the national mechanism for monitoring the Committee's recommendations? What was the position of the State party on the ratification of the Optional Protocol?

The Committee was concerned that the State party had failed to incorporate a comprehensive definition of discrimination against women in the Constitution or in State legislation. Why was this? What legislative and policy measures were in place to address intersectional discrimination against women?

Responses by the Delegation

The delegation said access to justice was a constitutionally recognised right for all Cubans. Men and women enjoyed the same legal status and the same rights with regard to succession. Exorbitant fees could not be charged for legal aid services. Around 700 pro-bono services were made available in 2024, the majority of which related to gender-based violence cases.

The National Ombudsperson was established in June 2023. Its role was to protect and restore the rights of marginalised people, including women, young people, the elderly, and persons with disabilities. It had received 102 complaints of violence and discrimination. Forty-eight of these cases had been resolved; the rest were being reviewed.

No authority could modify the rulings of courts or instruct judges. The judiciary's independence met the highest international standards. The public was actively engaged in trials and rulings could be appealed.

Cuba was in favour of removing the death penalty when the conditions were favourable to do so. It had not been applied or handed down as a sanction for 20 years and had never been issued against a woman. Four crimes had been removed from the list of crimes for which the death penalty could be applied.

There were no political prisoners in Cuba. All prisoners had been sentenced for violating the law and had benefited from fair trial guarantees. In the 2021 riots, there was vandalism and public and private property was destroyed. No country would allow such actions to go unpunished. Criminal trials of persons who committed such actions were fair; rioters were prosecuted based on their actions, not their gender.

Cuba engaged in ongoing awareness raising and training on the Convention and other international human rights instruments for civil servants and the judiciary. There was also an awareness raising campaign for women and vulnerable groups. The State party worked with local media and civil society to support this work. There were also post-graduate courses in universities on women's empowerment and gender-based violence.

The State party did not recognise the competence of any international treaty bodies to receive individual communications. This was a long-standing position of the Government and there were no plans to change it.

The State party had a follow-up mechanism to assess the implementation of the Convention and the national programme for the advancement of women. It was working to ensure that women could play their full roles in the family, the economy and society. The mechanism included representatives of all government bodies and civil society organizations.

Cuba prohibited all forms of discrimination. State legislation addressed discrimination based on sex and gender identity, amongst others. The 2019 Constitution stated that international treaties ratified by Cuba were directly applicable in the State. The State party had adopted over 400 decrees promoting gender equality. An important example was the new Family Code, which placed gender equality at its core. Members of parliament were provided with training on this legislation to ensure that they were able to apply it. The national programme against racism and discrimination also addressed intersectional forms of discrimination.

Questions by Committee Experts

A Committee Expert asked about the State party's assessment of its efforts to disseminate the Convention. The Optional Protocol put into practical effect the rights of the Convention and would be of benefit to Cuba if it were ratified.

RHODA REDDOCK, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for Cuba, asked if the State party had been able to address all the challenges that came with the United States' blockade.

Another Committee Expert shared deep concerns about the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on human rights. Businesses and multilateral actors needed to consider the impacts of overcompliance with sanctions, and States needed to act in line with their international obligations.

One Committee Expert said the Federation for Cuban Women coordinated the national programme for the advancement of women. How did the Federation mainstream gender equality across different sectors and promote the participation of women of African descent and women with disabilities in the creation of public policies? How did it assist civil society organizations in efforts to promote gender equality?

Cuba did not have a national human rights institute, but the National Ombudsperson might be a first step towards this. How many complaints had it received from women? To what extent had gender sensitivity training been provided? Did the State party plan to establish a national human rights institute in accordance with the Paris Principles?

Responses by the Delegation

The delegation said that specialised training on international treaties was a challenge. To address this, the State party had stepped up training of police, journalists and other stakeholders on the Convention, including in rural areas. A gender approach was gradually being implemented in university textbooks. There was a communication strategy in place to promote positive portrayals of women in the media and prevent gender stereotypes.

The State party did not recognise the competence of the treaty bodies to receive individual communications as Cuba believed that its national rights protection framework was sufficient.

The economic blockade had primarily impacted women and families. Banks did not allow Cuba to conduct many transactions, due to the State having been classified as a co-sponsor of terrorism. This had hampered efforts to invest in energy and infrastructure. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a shortage of ventilators in hospitals, and the Government was unable to acquire them due to the blockade. Twenty-five days of the blockade represented a year's worth of financing required to acquire the basic basket of food and medical supplies for one year. Eighteen days of the blockade covered a year's worth of investment in fuel. Thirty-six hours of the blockade represented the annual cost of education materials in the country.

Since the establishment of the Ombudsperson, it had dealt with 1,001 cases, 616 of which it had accepted for follow-up. Over 300 of these cases had been resolved. Two national workshops had been held to strengthen the capacity of Ombudsperson Office staff. The State was working to ensure that women were aware of the national programme for women's empowerment. National and local groups provided follow-up on human rights issues affecting certain communities; these issues included racism, women's empowerment, and the rights of persons with disabilities. In all these fora, civil society participated actively.

Among Cuban members of Parliament, there were 149 Afro descendants, representing over 30 per cent of members. Around 56 per cent of women members of Parliament were Afro descendants. The State party was working to address discrimination and racism against this group. A national observatory on racism had been established and there was a reporting line for lodging complaints of racism. A national day for Afro-Latina and Afro-Caribbean women had been established. Over 60 civil society organizations representing these women participated in celebrations of this day.

Questions by Committee Experts

A Committee Expert said the Federation of Cuban Women was very strong. How did it support independent civil society organizations which did not belong to the Federation?

Another Committee Expert asked whether the State party believed that there was a need to enact temporary special measures to support young girls and older women? Were temporary special measures planned to address the phenomenon of rural to urban migration?

RHODA REDDOCK, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for Cuba, commended the State party for continuing efforts to eliminate gender discrimination of women and carry out training and sensitisation programmes on gender discrimination. How effective had these programmes been? Would the State party consider establishing a multi-sectoral strategy to eliminate patriarchal stereotypes? What work on gender stereotypes had been carried out with men and boys? Schools reproduced gender ideologies. To what extent were gender studies part of the teacher training curriculum?

There were many legislative changes put in place related to gender-based violence since the last dialogue. To what extent had the implementation of this legislation been affected by the economic blockade? Were there official shelters for victims of gender-based violence and did the State party collaborate with civil society organizations that supported victims? Was there a reparations procedure for victims? Did the State party have an aversion to addressing femicide in its legislation? What was the social perception of this phenomenon?

One Committee Expert said that the State party had a zero-tolerance policy to trafficking. However, there were concerning reports of sexual abuse of girls in the tourism industry and of criminalisation of women victims of sex trafficking. When would the State party adopt a comprehensive law on trafficking with clear provisions on prevention and reparation for victims? When would it review its Penal Code to criminalise the use of services of trafficking victims? How would it prevent the revictimisation of trafficking victims? How many victims had been identified and assisted in the past year, and how many perpetrators had been prosecuted? Did the State party intend to include women's non-governmental organizations in the process of identifying and preventing trafficking? How was the State party training officials to respond to trafficking, including online trafficking activities? What awareness raising campaigns were in place regarding trafficking? How many shelters were available for victims of trafficking and what services did they provide?

Responses by the Delegation

The delegation said more than four million Cubans belonged to the Federation of Cuban Women. The Federation of Cuban Women coordinated a working group on implementing the national programme on women's empowerment, which also included civil society organizations that were not part of the Federation.

Cuba had a tradition of enacting temporary special measures when needed. For example, it had reopened children's creches in workplaces. Measures were also being implemented to support women's access to the basket of foodstuff and employment, and to support women and girls migrating from rural areas to cities. The Government was supporting rural women to access livelihoods to reduce their need to migrate from rural areas. There was a working group in place that addressed internal and external migration, developing policies to support migrants and manage urban development

The national education system was being reviewed in 2023 and 2024 to strengthen guidelines for teachers. Issues such as gender inequality and sexual division of labour were being incorporated in students' education. Intergenerational meetings were held with men and boys, in which elderly men taught boys about the importance of tackling gender stereotypes.

The State party had a comprehensive legal framework and a national strategy to address gender-based violence. One of the goals of the strategy was to develop a comprehensive law on violence against women. The Criminal Code imposed severe sanctions for the crime of murder of a women motivated by gender. There were shelters for female victims of violence provided by grassroots organizations. Workshops were held to coordinate the Government and civil society's responses to gender-based violence. Comprehensive reparations for violence could be sought through civil courts. Members of parliament had discussed but had not agreed to include the concept of "femicide" within legislation.

Cuba had a zero-tolerance policy regarding all forms of trafficking and was a State party to international instruments addressing various forms of trafficking. Trafficking in persons had been included as a crime in the Criminal Code, as had forced labour. There was a very low incidence of human trafficking in Cuba, thanks in part to the absence of significant organised crime networks. Cuba had a national action plan and a national working group addressing trafficking. The national action plan included strong measures promoting support for victims. The State did not criminalise women victims of trafficking.

State regulations prohibited sex tourism. Detection and combatting systems were in place in the tourism industry. The State party had identified a small number of foreigners in the country who were involved in facilitating child sex tourism, who were duly sentenced. Over 700 training sessions had taken place for 7,000 workers in the tourism sector on the prevention of trafficking.

Cuba had published an annual report on trafficking that contained data on cases of trafficking before the courts. There were 14 prosecutions for trafficking crimes in 2023. The State party did not criminalise prostitution but did punish pimping with severe penalties. Social workers were supporting sex workers and the State was working to eradicate the root causes of women becoming involved in prostitution.

Questions by Committee Experts

A Committee Expert welcomed that Cuba currently had one of the highest rates of female participation in Parliament worldwide. However, a gender gap persisted in cabinet ministries, with only 18.5 per cent of ministerial positions being held by women. Men were concentrated in the most influential spheres of Government. How was the State party measuring the number of women in executive posts in the private sector? Was it encouraging private sector bodies to promote women's representation? How many heads of standing committees in Parliament were women? How many women civil society organizations were there and were they affected by laws preventing access to foreign funding?

Another Committee Expert asked about circumstances in which Cuban women could lose their nationality. Could the State party strip people of their nationality? Was there a mechanism for Cuban women born abroad to regain their nationality?

Responses by the Delegation

The delegation said Cuba had made significant progress over the reporting period regarding the representation of women in Parliament. Three women played a key role in leadership of the Central Communist Party Committee and 46 per cent of members of this committee were women. Six provinces had female governors; 80 per cent of vice-ministerial posts were held by women; and six of the 11 standing working committees of Parliament were led by women. The State party had put in place an action plan to increase the representation of women in non-traditional sectors and in leadership positions, and to increase the number of women-owned enterprises.

Civil society organizations could receive foreign funding, but not financing for activities that subverted the constitutional order.

The Constitution regulated how citizenship was acquired. The acquisition of citizenship of other States did not lead to the revoking of Cuban citizenship. A new law on citizenship had been adopted but had not yet come into force. The law would require persons who applied to renounce Cuban nationality to hold another nationality.

Questions by Committee Experts

A Committee Expert asked if there was a follow-up mechanism in place to assess the number of women in executive posts.

RHODA REDDOCK, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for Cuba, said that the President could issue decisions on the removal of citizenship. Could this lead to statelessness?

One Committee Expert commended Cuba for its efforts to make the right to education free and universal and to promote women's academic achievements. The Expert cited reports of an increased rate of teenage pregnancies in rural and remote areas, particularly for people of African descent. When would the State party start implementing a sexual education programme? How was it working around the economic blockade to support rural and Black women? How many rural and marginalised women were attending university? Did the State party have legislation and policies that addressed bullying in schools and cyber bullying? How did the State party ensure that women and men earned the same in the education sector?

Another Committee Expert said women's labour force participation rate was relatively low, at 39 per cent. How would the State party increase this rate, particularly in the formal sector, and ensure that women in the informal sector had the same access to protections as in the formal sector? What measures were in place to address the segregation of women in the workforce and to promote the employment of women of African descent and women with disabilities? The State party had prohibited discrimination on the basis of employment. How was this being implemented? Women spent twice as much time doing domestic and care work, and there had been successive cuts to social care programmes. How did the State party intend to sustain these programmes?

How effective was legislation promoting shared parental responsibility? How was the State party working to prevent workplace sexual harassment? How many complaints of workplace harassment had been received since 2019? What were the obstacles to the State party ratifying International Labour Organization Conventions 189 and 160?

Responses by the Delegation

The delegation said the national programme for the advancement of women included measures to assess the representation of women in construction, agriculture, mining and water resource fields, in which there were fewer women in executive posts. The ministries of transport and energy and mining had vice-ministers who were women. The Government would continue to undertake actions to incentivise women's participation in non-traditional sectors.

Citizens needed to comply with specific requirements to renounce nationality. There needed to be serious circumstances, such as membership of an armed group that had attacked the State, for nationality to be deprived. The President authorised the deprivation of nationality.

For the current school year, the State party had incorporated comprehensive sexual education into the common compulsory syllabus at both primary and secondary levels. Students and their families had contributed to drafting a protocol to tackle violence in schools. Capacity building on responding to violence was provided through conferences and training for teachers. There was only a small number of girls who dropped out of school, but every effort was taken to encourage them to return. This had led to a decline in the dropout rate in recent years. At the secondary level, around 1,500 students with disabilities had graduated in the most recent school year. There was no gender wage gap in the educational sector.

Cuba was promoting the prevention of cyber violence. The law on social communications established that online content could not be used to discriminate against any group on any grounds. Online advertising could not employ stereotypical depictions of women. There was also legislation sanctioning online child pornography and bullying. The Criminal Code addressed criminal activities using digital spaces. In the 10 years since the last review, access to the internet in Cuba had improved significantly, despite the United States' blockade, which affected the telecommunications industry.

The Government was calling for the fair distribution of household and care work between men and women. A recent decree on the national care system provided for a more equitable approach to care. The decree recognised that carers' unpaid work made valuable contributions to society. The State was training carers to provide formalised care for the aging population and raising awareness about the need for men and women to spend equal time on care duties.

The Labour Code included a definition of workplace harassment. If the victim was a subordinate to the perpetrator, or if the harassment was based on gender, higher sanctions were implemented. Mechanisms for reporting harassment were in place in each workplace and complaints could also be submitted directly to the Government.

Women workers enjoyed the right to maternity leave, which had recently been extended to 15 weeks after the birth of a child. The posts of women who took maternity leave were reserved for when they returned. The Government was also encouraging sharing of parental leave between mothers and fathers. It had opened early childhood facilities across the country, increasing places in those facilities ten-fold. Workplace creches provided childcare for 5,000 children. Wage equality between men and women was established as a right within legislation.

Cuba did not believe it was currently necessary to ratify International Labour Organization Convention 160. It was a party to the main eight International Labour Organization Conventions.

Questions by Committee Experts

A Committee Expert said the Committee welcomed actions taken by the State party to reduce under five mortality rates. The life expectancy in Cuba had reached 81 years, which was remarkable. The Government provided a public and free health care system. Did it cover the needs of poor and rural women? How did the State party succeed in being the first country to eradicate mother-to-child HIV and syphilis transmission? There was a high level of teenage pregnancy in Cuba. What measures were in place to provide affordable contraception to women and girls who needed it? How was the State party reducing post-partum complications and ensuring the availability of family doctors in rural and remote areas?

Another Committee Expert noted that there were multiple initiatives to promote women's access to employment in fields such as agriculture. The Government had promoted 20 affirmative actions in the rural sector to advance the empowerment of women. What resources were available to women to succeed in business initiatives? Were there opportunities for women to participate in the blue economy? A law on the transfer of agricultural land had recently been enacted; how had it assisted rural women to access land? To what extent had Cuba provided loans and credit for women? Were there plans to improve data on women's access to credit?

Responses by the Delegation

The delegation said that in 2023, there were around 27,500 general practitioners in the State party. Priority was attached to providing health services in rural areas.

The State party needed to continue to increase the percentage of women in agriculture and the percentage of women landowners. The Government was supporting women to access bank loans. It planned to collect data on recipients of bank loans, disaggregated by sex and ethnicity.

Cuba had managed to keep prevalence rates of HIV at the lowest rates in Latin America through prophylaxis measures implemented with the support of the World Health Organization. There were several programmes in place for the prevention and monitoring of sexually transmitted infections.

Questions by Committee Experts

RHODA REDDOCK, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for Cuba, said that only 10 per cent of the agricultural land distributed by the Government had been distributed to women. What factors were affecting women's involvement in agriculture and their access to land?

Another Committee Expert said that there were restrictions on people changing residence, particularly affecting women in the eastern part of the island. Institutions had been authorised to find and deport people to their places of origin. How would the State party guarantee the right to internal migration?

Women deprived of liberty reportedly faced violence from staff and inmates. How did the State party work with civil society to oversee prisons? Was prenatal care provided to pregnant women in prisons?

How was the State party providing elderly women with basic care, food and services? What steps had been taken to ensure substantive equality for women of African descent? What services were provided for women with disabilities in rural areas? How was the State party promoting the right to identity for lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex women?

One Committee Expert said that the economic blockade on Cuba was a flagrant violation of the rights of Cubans, damaging their rights to food, education, health and other areas. The Expert commended legislation that increased the age of marriage to 18. How did the State party plan to address de facto unions with children? How many criminal cases related to child marriage had there been in the last four years?

Responses by the Delegation

The delegation said the gender observatory was compiling data on women who owned land and worked in agriculture. The Government was working to support more rural women to gain access to land, State services and economic empowerment.

The national health system had 53 different services for older persons delivered at the community level. Cuba continued to promote access to services, cultural spaces and employment for persons with disabilities. The State party was taking steps to ensure that Afro descendant women played their full role by supporting access to education and breaking down stereotypes.

The treatment of detainees in Cuba was in line with the Mandela and Bangkok Rules. The right to free medical care was provided in places of detention, along with recreational activities. Women prisoners received differentiated treatment. Support and care for children staying in prisons with their mothers was provided.

The Family Code recognised same-sex marriage and assisted reproduction. There had been 85 same-sex marriages between women in the last year. The State party was providing care and support for trans women. Campaigns to tackle homophobia and transphobia were being rolled out across the country.

Concluding Remarks

INÉS MARÍA CHAPMAN WAUGH, Deputy Prime Minister of Cuba and head of the delegation, thanked the Committee for the constructive dialogue. Cuba valued the recommendations of the Committee, which would be scrutinised with due rigour. The Government was committed to implementing the Convention and promoting women's rights. It would do its utmost to achieve its goals in this regard, despite the economic blockade imposed by the United States.

ANA PELÁEZ NARVÁEZ, Committee Chair, said that the Committee commended Cuba for its efforts and called on the State party to implement the Committee's recommendations for better implementation of the Convention for the benefit of all women and girls in the State.

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