Cuban regime approves new Child Code amid a deep social crisis

The National Assembly of the People's Power approved on Tuesday the Code of Childhood, Adolescence, and Youth, a new legal framework aimed at guaranteeing the rights and comprehensive development of individuals aged 0 to 35 in Cuba.

The standard replaces the previous code from 1978 and was presented as an advanced and inclusive piece of legislation, according to the official portal Cubadebate.

The Minister of Education, Naima Ariatne Trujillo Barreto, defended the text before the deputies and assured that it is a document that is “humanistic, participatory, and equitable,” resulting from a consultative process in which more than 825 thousand people participated.

The new law contains 214 articles divided into two titles.

However, this approval comes at a time of particular social complexity in Cuba: the country is facing a concerning rise in drug use among adolescents, domestic violence, child labor, the deaths of minors at the hands of their own parents, and the discovery of abandoned newborns in garbage dumps.

This is compounded by the lack of contraceptive methods, the scarcity of condoms, and a growing wave of poverty that particularly affects women and single mothers.

The new Code enshrines fundamental rights such as progressive participation, the best interests of the child, and protection against any form of abuse, neglect, trafficking, or violence.

It also reinforces the prohibition of child labor and states that it "ensures" safe environments at home, in school, and in the digital space.

Deputies like Laura Bacallao and Leidys María Labrador acknowledged that, although the law represents a regulatory advancement, its implementation requires resources, training, and real mechanisms for reporting, which in practice do not always work or simply do not exist.

For her part, Mariela Castro Espín emphasized that the Code incorporates sexual and reproductive rights for minors, prohibiting non-consensual genital surgeries on intersex children and promoting comprehensive sexual education.

However, many times the lack of action by authorities in cases of child abuse raises doubts about the effectiveness of these provisions in everyday life, as seen in the recent case of a minor who was assaulted by his mother and stepfather despite the grandmother's repeated complaints to the police.

Although the government promotes the Code as a revolutionary milestone, the data and social reports reveal an alarming situation: adolescents starting to use drugs at increasingly younger ages, women caught between state violence and economic hardship, and unwanted children resulting from lack of access to family planning.

Criminality, femicides, and cases of child abandonment have become a regular part of the landscape, while institutions often act late or fail to act at all.

On social media and independent media, recent cases of infanticide linked to drug use have been documented, as well as reports of the lack of state attention to high-risk social situations.

The Code of Childhood, Adolescence, and Youth represents an attempt by the Cuban regime to update its legal framework in line with international treaties such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

However, its effective reach will depend on its implementation in an environment marked by scarcity, repression, and the lack of protection for the most vulnerable, activists point out.

Experts agree that the main challenge lies not in the paper itself, but in translating this standard into concrete actions that prevent the abandonment, abuse, and exclusion of thousands of Cuban minors who are currently growing up without opportunities or institutional support.

Frequently Asked Questions about the New Childhood Code in Cuba