Are Cuban health workers victims of forced labor or humanitarian helpers?
The US recently announced expansions to an existing policy targeting “forced labor” and “abusive coercive labor practices.” The Guardian reports the expansions are pointed directly at Cuba’s medical missions and overseas health workers. But the Cuban government is crying foul, claiming their workers are not victims of human trafficking but are merely medical professionals providing needed humanitarian aid. Between the rhetoric and the politics, the truth can be hard to find.
Nothing to see here
New US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, recently left for his first visit to the Caribbean in his official capacity. Notably, Rubio is the child of Cuban immigrants. He claims “forced labor” and “abusive and coercive labor practices” are baked into Cuba’s overseas medical missions.
Speaking about Cuban healthcare workers while defending the expansions, Rubio said:
“The doctors are not paid; payments are made to the Cuban government. The Cuban government decides how much of anything to give them. They take away the passports. They basically operate as forced labor,”
The expansions and targeting of Cuban health workers provoked St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves to provide evidence to the US that Cuban workers are not victims of human trafficking. He expressed confidence that the information he provided would settle US concerns about the issue once and for all.