The Cuban economy is based on equality among all citizens. The Cuban economy was particularly effective and prosperous before the fall of the Soviet Union; Cuba had practically abolished hunger and malnutrition. In 1962, under President Kennedy, the United States imposed a trade embargo which denied Cuba the trade of basic food and medicine supplies with the U.S. or any of it's subsidiaries. Therefore, Cuba began to rely on the Soviet Union and the eastern bloc for trade. However, in 1989, with the fall of the Soviet Union and the destruction of the eastern bloc [a collection of eastern Euopean countries that supported the U.S.S.R.], Cuba lost over 75 percent of its trading partners (Hayes, 1995). Considering this in terms of the U.S. trade embargo, the economic situation in Cuba has become bleak. Cuba is economically isolated after losing it's ally of the USSR and, because of US policy, losing other trading partners. Since 1989, Cuba has had little or no economic growth, consumption has decreased, and many public services have been eliminated, and there is a huge shortage in hard currency. The embargo has made the accumulation of essential goods are more costly and more difficult to procure and maintain. Specifically, in terms of children, because of the embargo and lack of trading partners there are huge shortages of basic nessecities, like milk. Previously, Cuba was able to provide milk for every child under fourteen and every adult over sixty-five, but now there is barely enough milk for children under seven. Such shortages have larger health and nutritional implications for children. It is simple, if children do not get enough essential nutrients they can become ill or even die.
In order to compensate for these problems Cuba has unsuccessfully
attempted to find new markets for sugar, it's primary crop, in addition to
expanding tourism, its new industry. Tourism has created a sense of
economic diversity within Cuba. Tourism and the consequential monetary
influx, has created more jobs and more opportunities. Tourism specific
jobs, like hotel and resort workers, are able to side step Cuba strict
equality economy and earn more money through tips. Another result of
tourism has been the increase or creation of prostitution. Women and
young girls have
found that they can earn more for their families through prostitution than
through any legitimate job Cuba could offer
them. Thus, girls are entering prostitution at young ages because they
are
inticed by the sheer amount of money; young girls are able to earn more
money than their parents. The introduction to capitalist economics through
tourism
has created somewhat of a diverse economic environment within Cuba, and
thus
has changed the lives of many young girls.
For more economic statistics click here
Hayes, Keri. (1995, March). Feeding their own.
http://www.soyatech.com/Cuba.html
(1998, November 12)
This page was written by Julia Hitchings, contributing group members
Lauren Clark, Jenn Hamm, and Sandi Yarow.
The purpose of this website is to portray the lives of children living in
Cuba. It was designed by Lauren Clark, Jenn Hamm, Julia Hitchings, and
Sandi Yarow, as a part of a collaborative web project in a freshman
writing
seminar: Children and
Society, taught at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, by Professor April
Brayfield.
Green, D. (1998). Hidden Lives: Voices of Children in Latin America and
the Caribbean. London and Washington: Cassel
The Children
of
Cuba Homepage
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the World
December 18, 1998