Guantanamo, Cuba Children at Work
Photo Feature by Rosa Martinez
HAVANA TIMES — According to a report published by the International Labor Association (ILO), over 10 million children work worldwide as domestic servants in dangerous conditions and, sometimes, even slave-like conditions.
The report explains that these young children, over 70% are girls, clean, iron, cook, do the gardening, collect water and look after other children and care for the elderly in the homes of a third party or employer, and are vulnerable to physical, psychological and sexual abuse.
Furthermore, they live in abusive working conditions and are isolated from their families. They are also exposed to dangerous environments and illegal activities, such as drug trafficking and prostitution.
Although we can find more than one child walking the streets here in Cuban cities, maybe a few of them beg, mainly to tourists, or sell something for a few cents, but we can definitely say that our children don’t need to work in order to put food on the table nor to satisfy their most basic needs. If our social system has a priority, it’s our children.
Now that the summer vacation is around the corner, we’ll show you some photos of Guantanamo youngsters at work, the future of our province.
Click on the thumbnails below to view all the photos in this gallery. On your PC or laptop, you can use the directional arrows on the keyboard to move within the gallery. On cell phones use the keys on the screen.
Really? I thought you had to be seeking asylum or trained in a skill Cuba needs. Do you mean that really wanting to be there is enough of a reason to be granted residency? Surely it’s a lot harder than that.
I know you are being sarcastic, but I’ll appreciate any info you or others have..
Out of interest. From the pictures above, what percentage would you say were black.
2002 Census 11.2 million
2012 Census 11.1 million
You will relieved to know Ben that my contributions to these pages are limited to being made when I am not at home in Cuba from where I am unable to contribute. As I spend the majority of my time at home, I hope you will excuse me for contributing when I have the luxury of being able to do so.
Regarding your not caring about the obvious manipulation of census statistics by the Castro regime or their reasons and purpose I understand that for you as a casual observer it is unimportant. My views are driven by those of the many Cubans who are not allowed to publicly express theirs.
This is certainly a bigger issue for you than it is for me. I don’t really care what the reported percentage is. I think you should get a hobby. You’ve got too much time on your hands.
Batista is not an alternative option for Cuba, although you are obviously unaware, he’s been dead for many years! My question for you is whether you had any experience of suffering under his dictatorship? Those who are concerned about Cubans can remember fifty seven years of Castro dictatorship. An argument about which dictator is worst is fruitless as ALL of them are evil. Do you agree or do you actually like dictatorship?
I note Ben that you didn’t answer the question! But maybe you don’t know Cuba well.
The Batista dictatorship which began in 1952 was cruel and tyrannical as well. Thanks for the correction. For 64 years, Cuba has suffered under the tyranny of dictatorship.
I guess you don’t remember the hell on earth years of Batista and his lackeys.
Fidel Castro said that Cuba was a dictatorship in his TV interview with Barbara Walters.
The Cuban population is growing at an ever-DECREASING rate. All things considered, the Cuban population should actually begin to decline in less than a generation.
For 57 years, Cuba has suffered under the tyranny of dictatorship. That is what should be boring to you.
My problem when viewed by communist dictatorship supporters like yourself, is that I am a friend of the people of Cuba in general, my family (I’m related to almost 70 Cubans) our many friends and our community. I am an opponent of dictatorship and communism believing in individual freedom. To again quote Dr. Ernesto Guevara:
“Young people have to learn to think as a mass, to think as an individual is criminal.”
I believe in encouraging young people to think for themselves and not to automatically swallow any balderdash that may emanate from their political masters. You obviously have swallowed the out-dated 19th Century spoutings of Marx, Lenin, Engels et al. be careful not to choke on it!
And your point is? Seems like a very small sample to me.
I didn’t think that was predictable, and I thought it showed Moses was thinking
I don’t know Cuban everyday life well enough to know if what he says is true. It resonated because of my Soviet experience, which also prioritised children. I even recall being scolded for not giving up my seat on a bus to a schoolboy — and we also said in 1984 ‘they can’t keep treating adults like this
enough with me because I remember thinking in the USSR in 1984 –they can’t continue to treat adults like this
So is what Moses said right?
If so will people be tired of this at some point?
If so how to stop it going the way of Soviet Russia? (Which is also regressing back to wanting a strongman)
Ermie, please tone down the personal attacks and stick to the subject at hand. And by the way… Cuba has virtually “0” population growth, and a rapidly aging population, if you believe the government statistics.
You know nothing about Cuba, that’s obvious, and you are not a friend of The People, and you know it.
To answer the question you asked, Cuba has been a dictatorship since 1959.
Take another look at the photograph of the children leaving school and tell us if you believe that only 9.9% of Cubans are black! That is the current official figure given by the Castro regime.
Isn’t it strange how you are prepared to use the word democracy when the PCC does not.
My understanding of the Castro revolution is that he lied about its purpose and even following the Matos trial of October 1959, said that:
“They had no right to say that the revolution was communist.”
Within a year he declared publicly and appropriately in Havana’s main cemetery, that the revolution was communist.
This was the same man who was a candidate for the Orthodox Party of Cuba which supported freedom of speech and of the press and private business.
I totally comprehend communism and have prolonged knowledge of it, it is unrelated to free open democracy. Fortunately Havana Times allows freedom of expression, but the Castro regime and the PCC do not.
As for the “beautiful life”, it was best described by George Orwell in his book 1984. In it he wrote: ‘Big Brother is watching you.” and indeed that is the defined purpose of the CDR the leaders of which were actually trained by the East German Stasi. I suppose that the tens of thousands of Cubans fleeing Cuba per year would have some difficulty in concurring with your view.
Mine is not the problem!
Well, the national census of 2012 carried out by the Castro regime, reported that the population was down to 11.1 million. It also reported that there were only 5,500 residents in Cuba who were not born there. A further statistic was that the population of ‘blacks’ had decreased from 10.1% to 9’9%.
So I guess Ermle, that you are saying that these are all lies being promoted by the Propaganda Department of the Communist Party of Cuba. Now I would agree with you that the Castro family regime has a history of lying with Fidel Castro being the prime example, but for once I thought that their census might be correct.
As you apparently consider that you are better able to provide accuracy than the aforesaid authorities, perhaps you can describe how many immigrants there have been to Cuba during the last ten years and provide your version of the population statistics?
My stepdaughter was engaged as a census taker, but you are saying she was wasting her time as the whole thing was a Castro cook-up.
For you, the obvious problem is that I know more about Cuba than you do.
You really have a problem, don’t you? Your understanding of the Revolution is only propaganda from those who have opposed this beautiful life since Day One. Since when is Cuba a dictatorship? Seems you don’t understand people’s democracy.
Where do you think I am? Cuba is NOT short of immigrants, by the way, and does NOT have a declining population. You seem to know nothing about Cuba.
OK. So I guess I have to agree that children are well cared for in Cuba. That they’re a priority But, let me see now, how can I turn this into a negative. You guys are so predictable. Boring.
Children are a priority in Cuba. On this we can agree. The problem is that the Castros try to try to treat adults like children too.
Why not go and become a permanent part of it? Cuba is short of immigrants and has a declining population with tens of thousands fleeing per year. You could become a permanent resident and join the Syrian refugees.
I have always admired the happiness in the faces of the school children during my visits to Cuba. They are indeed happy, beautiful children. During my last trip I observed a group of school children, dressed in their school uniforms, while on a visit to Revolution Square. What a delight and joy it was to observe them in their adventure of the day. Yes, I agree,the flowers of the Revolution. Bravo!
Thanks for the correction Ermle, I had previously understood that Cecila Sanchez was “the flower of the revolution”. I guess that she has now been discarded, maybe you as an ardent supporter of dictatorship and repression can explain why her memory has been dumped?
Good PR stunt by Mr Castro. What about the very poor wages and housing conditions under this most repressive regime?
These are all happy, beautiful children at school and at play, the flowers of the Revolution. Long live Fidel! Long live the Revolution!