The States of Social Right in Cuba. Report #1 (2019)

The document we share today is the first in a series of reports from the Social Rights Observatory (ODS-CUBA), under the Cuban Human Rights Observatory (OCDH). It is an effort in which our observers and collaborators from within the island have participated in, in the midst of a climate that is becoming increasingly repressive against certain actions and groups independent of the State.

Since its founding, OCDH with its various services has placed an important emphasis on reporting civil and political rights violations in Cuba, and the presentation of the Social Rights Observatory marks a new stage in these efforts. With it, we seek to turn the eyes of public opinion and international institutions towards realities that, as a result of the Cuban government’s deception and propaganda, many do not know.

For years, many people of goodwill have believed that social rights are fully respected in Cuba. Others, fascinated by the revolutionary mythology, have believed that the absence of political rights was justified since the Cuban government supposedly guarantees a decent standard of living from the existential point of view. But does it really happen that way?

Answering this question is one of the objectives of the Social Rights Observatory and this first report; which will have continuity and continue to progress. In the coming months, we will share a deeper understanding of the Cuban reality and the daily life of its citizens.