Cuba on the human trafficking podium: medical missions, forced labor, and retaliation against those who tried to escape

Cuban authorities investigated 14 sex trafficking cases during 2024 without opening labor trafficking cases. (Illustrative image Infobae) Cuba remained on Tier 3 of the 2026 Trafficking in Persons Report because its government maintained a pattern of forced labor in labor export programs, including medical missions, according to the U.S. State Department. The assessment concluded that the authorities did not meet the minimum standards for eliminating trafficking and did not make significant efforts to do so. The most recent official data correspond to 2024 and were published by Cuban authorities in December 2025. That year, 14 sex trafficking cases were investigated, seven of them transnational, while there were no labor trafficking investigations. The government reported that it prosecuted and convicted 10 traffickers linked to seven domestic cases. Eight adults received at least one year in prison and two minors were sent to juvenile work correctional programs. The figures marked a decline compared to 2023, when 14 investigations, 20 prosecutions, and 19 convictions were recorded. Most cases were processed under criminal provisions that do not specifically refer to human trafficking. The 2022 Penal Code punishes labor trafficking and some forms of sex trafficking under Article 363.1. Penalties range from seven to 15 years in prison when the victim is an adult, and from 10 years to life imprisonment if the victim is a minor. Cuba remained on Tier 3 of the Trafficking in Persons Report for maintaining a pattern of forced labor in its labor programs. (Illustrative image Infobae) The law requires proving force, fraud, or coercion to establish the crime, even in cases of child sexual exploitation. For that reason, it does not cover all forms of child sex trafficking, although Article 402.1 penalizes the sexual exploitation of persons under 18 years of age with penalties of between seven and 15 years. Article 176.1 provides for three to eight years in prison for government-linked workers who do not complete an assignment in another country or do not return to Cuba upon completing it. The State Department noted that this provision can penalize potential victims of labor trafficking. The authorities did not investigate any case of labor exploitation and have not prosecuted or convicted labor traffickers since at least 2022. The report stated that Cuban officials recruited and sent workers abroad through deception, threats of retaliation, and other coercive practices. The state labor export program included medical missions from which the Cuban government benefited. According to the U.S. assessment, workers were subjected to conditions of exploitation and forced labor. The State Department report noted that Cuban authorities have not investigated labor trafficking since 2022. (Illustrative image Infobae) The government also did not report measures against official complicity in trafficking crimes. Corruption and official participation remained a concern that hindered police action during the period under review. The Ministry of Justice prosecuted people who abandoned state-sponsored labor programs after reporting exploitation. Officials also intimidated and threatened the relatives of workers who did not complete a mission and those who remained abroad, with the aim of preventing them from escaping. Regarding protection, in 2024 the authorities identified seven sex trafficking victims: one woman and six girls. The government cooperated with other countries in police operations and organized trafficking in persons trainings for administrative officials and prosecutors.