Maybe the most recent government decisions, such as the approval of the National Program for the Advancement of Women and the Integral Strategy for Prevention and Attention to Gender Violence and in the Family Scenario, are an example of Cuba’s willingness to adopt concrete actions to alleviate this issue.
In Cuba, there are 14 public policies and 35 programs to fight this social problem, as well as the integration and coordination of plans each organization implement, according to data from the audit conducted by the Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic in 2018.
Every step forward is based on the Constitution, approved in 2019 by over 86 percent of Cubans, and other policy-making documents, such as the conceptualization of the Socialist Economic and Social Development Model and the 2030 National Development Plan.
Several institutions are also boosting systematic actions to train and raise awareness about gender violence, targeting key sectors such as health care, education, the legal field, police and media.
For example, since 2014, the Attorney General’s Office has had a permanent telephone line, extended amid the Covid-19 pandemic, with the assistance of district attorneys and specialized staff to provide legal counsel and receive complaints about any kind of aggressions.
Moreover, at present, a new Family Code, which is undergoing a referendum, delves into protection to women and girls, offers a transversal view to violence and discrimination and seeks balance regarding the distribution of domestic work and care, mainly taken on by women.
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