Social Problems of Cuban Children

There are two main contributing factors to Cuban children's social problems: Communism and the Trade Embargo.

Communism in itself severely limits Cuban children's autonomy and freedom of choice. As a communist country, Cuba believes that all citizens should live their lives for the state. Specifically, most citizens' futures, even their careers, are planned out and dictated by the government. Consequently, Cuban children are discouraged from freedom of expression and are taught at young age that the extreme importance of the state. In order for Cuban children to be socially accepted, they must realize that they are living in a restricted environment in which their choices are limited and mask their self-interest and personal goals. Communism is a direct threat to the very idea of childhood, children should be allowed to exercise their natural freedom and be able to act in accordance to their personal desires.

The Trade Embargo with the U.S. takes away many of Cuban children's rights. Ideally, Cuba wants to provide an equal lifestyle for everyone in Cuba. However, because of the Trade Embargo, finances and basic supplies are hard to come by, making the distribution of resources, like milk and food, difficult. Specifically, with Cuba's finances in a rut, all schools have suffered fund and supply withdrawal, however rural schools have experienced the worst of it. Not only are all children suffering from lack of schooling materials, like pencils and paper, but also, against Cuba's pledge of equality, rural children are suffering shortages of everything. The Trade Embargo's effects are two-fold; it is not only creating supply deficiency but also inequalities within Cuba and Cuban children.

Essentially, Children should be thought of as autonomous beings who should be given every chance to be happy and healthy, both Communism and the Trade Embargo go against this very principle.

References
Biallas, L & Biallas, M. (1996, January). Cuba: Life amoung the ruins. http://www.quincy.edu/~biallas/cuba.html
(1998, November 11)

Green, D. (1998). Hidden Lives: Voices of Children in Latin America and the Caribbean. London and Washington: Cassel

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.
December 18, 1998