|
 The upgrade would lift Cuba to the so-called "Tier 2 Watch List"
from Tier 3, where it has languished for 12 years due to allegations
of sex trafficking and what U.S. authorities have previously
described as “coerced labor with Cuban government work missions
abroad.”
The upgrade was contained in a draft report that could be modified
by the time of publication, expected this month, said a
Congressional aide with knowledge of the report. A second source
confirmed the upgrade. The sources requested anonymity.
They attributed the upgrade to better cooperation between Washington
and Havana on human trafficking issues and better treatment of
victims, but they declined to provide specifics before the State
Department publishes the annual Trafficking in Persons report.
The report, which tracks "modern slavery" such as forced labor and
the sex trade, is usually released in June but has been delayed this
year.
The State Department declined to confirm the upgrade. “Given that
the report is not yet finalized, we will not comment on any specific
findings,” said State Department spokesman John Kirby.
 The thawing with Cuba is part of President Barack Obama’s efforts to
reshape American diplomatic relationships with some countries
previously seen as enemies, as underlined by Tuesday’s deal to limit
Iran’s nuclear ability in return for the lifting of some sanctions
and the 2012 opening up to longtime pariah Myanmar.
The Trafficking in Persons report includes four categories: Tier 1
for nations that meet minimum U.S. standards; Tier 2 for those that
are making significant efforts to do so; Tier 2 "Watch List" for
those that deserve special scrutiny; and Tier 3 for countries that
fail to fully comply with the minimum U.S. standards and are not
making significant efforts to do so.
Tier 3 countries may face sanctions, including the loss of U.S. aid
and U.S. support for World Bank and International Monetary Fund
loans, until major overhauls are introduced. Last year there were 23
countries on Tier 3, including North Korea, Syria, Iran and Cuba.
The report was first published in 2001, though Cuba only made its
first appearance in 2003.
FORCED LABOR
In an attempt to end U.S. isolation of Cuba, Obama has used his
executive powers to relax some travel, business and
telecommunications restrictions since sealing a diplomatic
breakthrough with Havana in December.
He has urged Congress to ease a 53-year-old U.S. trade embargo,
ended Cuba’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism and
announced on July 1 the formal re-establishment of diplomatic
relations, including reopening of embassies in each other's
capitals, as part of a “new chapter” of engagement after more than a
half-century of estrangement.
An upgrade in the trafficking report will face almost certain
criticism from political opponents of Cuba's Communist government,
including some U.S. lawmakers.
Past U.S. reports on Cuba’s human trafficking record have been
highly critical, citing allegations of children coerced into
prostitution and forced labor in Cuban state-backed overseas’ work
missions through a program that sends thousands of Cuban doctors and
nurses abroad.
Passports of those on the missions are sometimes withheld and people
have had their movements restricted, previous U.S. reports have
said. The Cuban government has denied the allegations.
[to top of second column] |
Cuba has more than 50,000 health workers in more than 60 countries,
making professional services the country's top export earner. Those
doctors and nurses generally are well paid by Cuban standards and
the positions can be appealing to Cuban medical professionals. In
some countries the programs are very large - for example Cuba has
some 30,000 doctors and nurses in Venezuela, a socialist ally that
provides Cuba an estimated 125,000 barrels of oil per day. Some
foreign diplomats in Havana say allegations of forced labor in the
program appear overblown.
However, some Cuban doctors and nurses have defected from their
overseas missions, complaining of difficult work conditions. Many
are openly recruited to defect under the U.S.-funded Cuban Medical
Professional Parole Program, which allows Cuban doctors and other
health workers who are overseas to enter the United States as
refugees.
“SHOCKING”
In last year’s report, the United States urged Cuba to revise laws
to criminalize all forms of human trafficking and meet international
standards, strengthen training of police and others in identifying
and protecting victims, and to adopt new anti-trafficking policies
to “ensure no use of coercion in Cuban work-abroad missions” and to
take other steps including more criminal prosecutions.
It is unclear how many of those steps Cuba has taken.
One area of concern to U.S. authorities has been the absence of laws
criminalizing prostitution for minors aged 16 to 18, a legal gray
area in Cuba where the age of consent is 16 and prostitution is
permitted, although pimping is outlawed.
Senator Robert Menendez, a Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee who has been a harsh critic of Obama’s Cuba policy, said
forced labor continues in Cuba with the conscription of doctors and
medical personnel to work overseas.
“It’s shocking. There is nothing that the Cubans have done to
improve their standing,” said Menendez, who is the son of Cuban
immigrants, in an interview. “You have to earn your way up the
ladder, not just have political expediency be the reason that you
get moved from Tier 3."
Menendez and human rights groups were also highly critical of the
State Department’s plans, revealed last week by Reuters, to upgrade
Malaysia from Tier 3, a move that could smooth the way for an
ambitious U.S.-led free-trade deal with the Southeast Asian nation
and 11 other countries.
The Malaysian upgrade has not been confirmed by the State
Department, which says it is still finalizing the ratings.
(Additional reporting by Daniel Trotta in Havana; Editing by Martin
Howell)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
