New Care Law in Cuba
On October 15, through Decree 109-2024, the Council of Ministers of Cuba made the “National System for the comprehensive care of life” into law.
The regulations understand that the Constitution of the Republic of Cuba establishes, as an essential purpose of the State, “to guarantee the full dignity of persons and their integral development”, and that Law 156 Family Code, of July 22, 2022, “establishes that families, society and the State, in accordance with their respective responsibilities, make the reasonable adjustments that are necessary and create a system of support that allows older adults to exercise their rights and defend the rights to which they are entitled, taking into account their dignity, their autonomy and their choices; society and the State provide, through their agencies and institutions, the system of support, due protection, education and guidance necessary to allow them to develop their capacities and aptitudes to the fullest.”
It adds that “addressing the demographic dynamics in our country includes, among its main challenges, structuring a national system for the comprehensive care of life in accordance with the current demographic, social and economic conditions of the country that obeys transformative objectives of the social organization of care, so it is necessary to establish said system so that, in a coherent and articulated way, care is organized in order to improve its effectiveness.”
For all these reasons, the Council of Ministers of Cuba adopts the “National System for the comprehensive care of life”.
“Article 1. The purpose of this Decree is to create the National System for Comprehensive Life Care as an instrument with a strategic vision of care, implemented on the basis of a model that facilitates coherence and coordination between policies, programs and actions, as well as the articulation between the bodies of the Central State Administration, the local bodies of People's Power and the rest of the economic and social actors, from the national to the local level.”
“Article 2. Care is defined as the social function of assistance and support that is materialized through work, paid or unpaid, intended to maximize the autonomy and well-being of people who, due to age, illness or disability, are in a situation of dependency and require help to carry out the essential acts of daily life.”
“Article 3. This Decree applies to all persons, intended to promote a cultural change with respect to the way care is organized in Cuban society, its more equitable distribution and for the benefit of the people who need it and those who provide it.”
The new Cuban law comes on the eve of the “International Day of Care and Support"Every October 29th to highlight the burden that falls mainly on women and members of the LGBTI+ community and that hinders their full access to rights."
About, Magela Romero Almodóvar, Coordinator of the Cuban Network for Studies on Care and member of the CLACSO Network, emphasized that “Over time, the care system ceased to be the endeavor of a small group and became a collective effort, championed by many individuals, institutions, organizations, national and international networks, and experts. I want to highlight the role of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security for its leadership, first of the Unpaid Work project and then of the Governmental Subcommittee on the Care System, attached to the Governmental Commission for Addressing Demographic Dynamics. I also want to acknowledge the Federation of Cuban Women: Cuba's history in care policies and many of the initiatives that have taken place in the country are thanks to the work of this organization since the 60s. Likewise, much of the national effort was supported by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, UNFPA, Oxfam International, and the Latin American Council of Social Sciences, although other important organizations joined later. The support, beyond financial, was technical and human.”
And I add: “In the specific case of CLACSO, the support has been ongoing and spearheaded by its Director, Karina Batthyány, who is also an international authority on the subject and has participated in several specialized training programs for specialists and decision-makers. Experts from the 'Gender and Care' Working Group, such as Valentina Perrotta, Laura Pautassi, and Juliana Martínez Franzoni, have also made significant contributions through training, the exchange of experiences, and technical advice. The academic events supported by CLACSO and the forum 'Contemporary Challenges to Care,' which we held in full collaboration in 2023, were important milestones due to their highly positive impact on the process.”
From April 25 to 27, 2023, CLACSO, UNICEF, the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare of Cuba, the United Nations Population Fund, OXFAM, UN Women, the Friedrich Erbert Foundation and the CLACSO Caribbean Region Centers organized the Forum in Havana, CubaContemporary challenges in caregiving: Demographic and political dynamics".
A special InfoCLACSO program featured the participation of: Karina Batthyány, Executive Director of CLACSO; Marta Elena Feitó Cabrera, Minister of Labor and Social Security of Cuba; María Isabel Domínguez, member of the CLACSO Steering Committee for the Caribbean Region; Valentina Perrotta, sociologist and professor, University of the Republic, Uruguay; Miriam Nicado, Rector of the University of Havana, Cuba; Magela Romero Almodóvar, full professor at the University of Havana and Coordinator of the Cuban Network of Care Studies; and Mariela Castro Espín, Director of the National Center for Sexual Education (CENESEX) and deputy of the National Assembly of People's Power of Cuba.
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