Ambassador Eugenio Martínez Enríquez, Director General for Latin America and the Caribbean at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, represented Cuba at the United Nations High-Level Event to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
At the meeting, Martinez Enriquez reaffirmed Cuba's firm intention to continue making progress in the areas of gender equality, women's empowerment, and the elimination of all forms of discrimination and violence against women and girls, while emphasizing the country's unwavering commitment to the provisions of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.
He assured that in Cuba there is and will be no impunity for acts of gender-based violence, for which the country has a solid legislation to combat this phenomenon, to take care of direct and indirect victims and to facilitate their rehabilitation and effective reintegration into society.
He explained that the Constitution recognizes the responsibility of the State to protect against gender violence in all its manifestations and spaces, and that since 2021 the country has a Comprehensive Strategy for Prevention and Attention to Gender Violence and in the Family Scenario, which consists of 10 strategic areas focused on prevention, attention, protection and recovery.
He stated that the Criminal Code makes it a severe criminal offence to "kill a woman as a result of gender-based violence" and provides for sanctions against all forms of family, psychological, physical, sexual, moral, economic or patrimonial violence, whether by act or omission, direct or indirect, and in any sphere of society or the family.
He noted that the country is developing new initiatives in this area, such as the creation of a single 24-hour telephone hotline for women and girls who are victims of violence. It is also working on a comprehensive and specialized system to address gender and family violence that will integrate health, legal, counseling and community services and cover the entire national territory.
Martínez Enríquez described the US economic blockade and its intensification in recent years as a severe blow to women's rights and the policies for the advancement of women developed in Cuba in recent decades. He explained that it has had a very damaging impact on essential services, employment opportunities, personal income and the overall standard of living.
(Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations)