Cuba sanctions 12 accused of human trafficking from 5 to 20 years in prison

The Supreme People's Court (TSP) of Cuba sentenced 12 people accused of the crimes of trafficking, corruption of minors and pimping were sentenced to between 5 and 20 years in prison, according to a report published this Friday by the island's Foreign Ministry.

“Of all the cases filed for the crimes of pimping and trafficking in persons and for the corruption of minors in the People's Supreme Court (TSP), typical features of human trafficking were observed. people in 10 cases, of them 2 of pimping and 8 of corruption of minors”, says the report.

In these cases tried in 2021, “10 victims were identified, of which 10 are girls,” the report specifies.

It points out that the criminal sanctions for the perpetrators “ranged in the range of 5 to 20 years of deprivation of liberty” and that “of the 12 identified defendants, 5 are men and 7 are women.”

The document indicates that the criminal actions judged focused on “the recruitment of young people, mainly females by foreign and Cuban businessmen, to provide bar and nightclub services in Russia, Mexico, Nicaragua , Turkey, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Japan, China and Cyprus”.

It also underlines that in Cuba “the incidence of foreigners who interact with young prostitutes in exchange for gifts and phone recharges persists, as well as such as the online promotion and sale of videos and images with sexual content”, which are paid through bank transfers from abroad and within the country.

The report affirms that Cuba maintained its political “zero tolerance” ethic with respect to any form of trafficking in persons.

In this sense, he points out that last year “processes and events with important implications at the national level took place, which made it possible to further strengthen s prevention and confrontation” of human trafficking and related crimes, despite the effects, still present, derived from the covid-19 pandemic.

It also adds that in 2021 the The implementation of the National Action Plan for the Prevention and Confrontation of Trafficking in Persons and the Protection of Victims was implemented for an additional year, and the process began. to draw up the new plan for the 2022-2024 period.