The Cuban Observatory of Human Rights, which is a Spanish based NGO. in a July 16th report (The State of Social Rights in Cuba) asserted that nearly 90% of Cuba’s population is affected by extreme poverty.[1]
This conclusion is a result of “how the food crisis, the shortage of medicines and unemployment affect millions of Cubans, in the face of the government’s disastrous performance.”
As a result, 91% of Cubans in a survey disapproved of the Government’s economic and social management while only 4% support that management.
“These data reflect the situation of poverty, shortage of food and medicine, and precariousness of basic public services that burden millions of Cuban families. The serious situation of social rights, together with repression and little confidence in the future, is at the root of the growing migratory exodus that is being experienced.”
Seven out of ten Cubans have stopped eating breakfast, lunch or dinner due to lack of money or food shortages. Only 15% of those surveyed have been able to eat three meals a day without interruption.
The worst affected sectors of the population are the elderly, people who do not receive remittances, the unemployed and prisoners.
Despite this public opinion, “everything indicates that the Cuban regime is preparing another shock plan, within the framework of what it has called ‘war economy,’ which will imply, as usual, more sacrifices for the population. Cuba urgently needs full respect for civil and political rights, economic openness and actions to reverse the serious situation of poverty, something that is impossible with the current system.”
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[1] Extreme Poverty in Cuba affects nearly 90% of the population, reveals a study by the Cuban Observatory of Human Rights, Diario de Cuba (July 16, 2024).
