Authorities in Santiago de Cuba have acknowledged a rise in cases of children and adolescents related to begging situations and announced that they are continuing prevention, monitoring, and control actions, with special attention to several central areas of the city.
The official profile Santiago de Cuba Hoy reported this Thursday that the phenomenon was discussed in the segment Justice in Debate on TV Santiago, featuring Captain Isabel Cristina Fernández Bartelemí, a juvenile care officer, and Provincial Prosecutor Daira Lescay Bridón.
The specialists explained that preventive actions are developed in conjunction with the committees responsible for addressing social policies and other community actors, with interventions primarily aimed at three areas: the family, the school, and the community.
The authorities also acknowledged that there are areas in Santiago de Cuba where the presence of minors in situations of begging has been detected more frequently.
Among the areas receiving special attention, they mentioned Plaza de Marte, Plaza de Ferreiro, and the surroundings of the Avenida de las Américas, as well as other popular sites in the city and municipalities of the province.
The discussion also highlighted the role of parents and legal representatives. As explained by the specialists, Cuban legislation outlines consequences for those who seriously neglect their parental responsibilities and allow or facilitate circumstances that harm the development of minors.
During the program, it was also noted that adolescents can be held criminally responsible from the age of 16 for behaviors that constitute offenses, although authorities emphasized that the goal of actions related to child begging should focus on the prevention and protection of minors.
Cuban legislation has precisely this year intensified its approach to the phenomenon.
The Law 178 of 2025, Code of Childhood, Adolescence, and Youth, and establishes enhanced protection against child labor and situations of begging.
Article 83 of the regulation considers any activity in which children or adolescents are used, induced, or forced to beg for financial or in-kind resources from others in public spaces as a situation of begging. It defines this as a form of child exploitation, violence, and a serious violation of their rights.
Despite the Cuban regime's claim that the new Code on Childhood, Adolescence, and Youth strengthens the protection of minors against child labor and begging, the reality acknowledged by the authorities themselves reveals an increase in the number of children and adolescents in those situations on the streets.
In August, two children aged 13 and 11 were seen selling bread on the streets to financially support their mothers.
An 11-year-old boy was recorded in July collecting cans to help support his mother in Camagüey, while other minors were seen selling fruits and pushing a cart with avocados in Havana.
That same month, the story of a boy who roamed the streets of Sancti Spíritus selling sweets made by his mother came to light, another example of minors taking on economic activities due to the hardships in their homes.
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