The Deputy to the National Assembly and Director of the National Center for Sexual Education of Cuba, Dr. Mariela Castro Espín, adressed the session: "The importance of education in the empowerment of women and girls, and its impact," of the World Forum of Women.
The Forum, held in Ulan Bartor, Mongolia, on August 22 and 23, was organized by the Office of the President of Mongolia, the Mongolian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the United Nations in this country.
Mariela stressed that "The civil, political and economic advances of women and girls in Cuba are the result of a radical emancipatory revolutionary process, which has recognized and facilitated the effective exercise of their rights. (…)
She highlighted that the immediate attention to these problems originated, in the 1970s, to the policy of Comprehensive Sexual Education, an initiative of the Federation of Cuban Women, whose 64th anniversary is celebrated on August 23.
She quoted, among other statistics on the progress of women in six decades, that currently, the Cuban Academy of Sciences has the highest percentage of women in its membership in the world, with 39%, an indicator that is increasing.
She added that women in Cuba represent 59% of people employed in the science and technological innovation sector, and almost 64% of the total number of graduates from universities.
Also, 55.7% of the deputies to the National Assembly are women, placing Cuba in second place worldwide in this indicator, while the world average of female parliamentarians is 26%.
She stressed that, although Cuban women feel a healthy pride in their achievements, rigorous work is being done to identify and address the challenges that persist, the eradication of which is a high priority on the Cuban State's political agenda.
She concluded that the aspirations of Cuban women are greatly limited by the unilateral economic, financial and commercial blockade against Cuba imposed by the US government.