Díaz-Canel says that the revolution defends the rights of children, and Cubans respond: “Where is the glass of milk?”

The leader Miguel Díaz-Canel faced criticism after stating that the revolution defends the rights of children in the context of International Children's Day.

“Martians as we are, we know that in our girls and boys lies the ability to love and the hope. To them, for whom the Revolution defends all their rights to dignity and growth, we extend our warmest congratulations on the occasion of World Children's Day,” wrote on X.

The president's statements led many Cubans to wonder about the daily glass of milk that General Raúl Castro promised during his tenure, which Cuban children are still waiting for.

"In Cuba right now, the children are suffering from tremendous hunger, malnutrition, and a lack of quality medical care due to a shortage of medicines in the face of an epidemic, where they are the ones who are suffering the most from a collapsed, negligent, and deficient healthcare system," said an internet user.

"You are not Martians, you are Castrists. Martí longed for a Republic with everyone and for the good of all. You, the communists, have destroyed the nation in both body and soul, spreading human and material misery all across the island," added another.

In line with her husband, this past Friday, Lis Cuesta sparked a new wave of criticism by speaking out on the rights of children and adolescents in a country where children are having less and less access to food every day, suffer from power outages, school abandonment, and are exposed to child labor.

In her X account, Díaz-Canel's wife wrote: “This week we have been discussing the rights and responsibilities of our children and adolescents; a perspective from Culture and Education. The topic is very challenging and exciting.”

The message was accompanied by images from the event in which she participated, titled "A Cultural Perspective on the Rights and Participation of Children and Adolescents in Revolution," where she presents her extensive array of "noble" titles: events coordinator for the Ministry of Culture, university lecturer, researcher, and graduate, as if the public were unaware that she is where she is solely due to her affiliation with the ruling dictatorship.

The publication provoked immediate reactions among Cubans, who accuse it of cynicism and total disconnection from the reality of the island, where childhood is spent amidst shortages, hunger, and a lack of state protection.