CASTRO AND PROSTITUTION

WRITTEN BY Hildebrand Chaviano MONTES

 From the year 1959, among the priority tasks of Fidel Castro, was the eradication of prostitution. Bird, Columbus, La Victoria, were some of the "happy" zones in the capital, which ceased to be in early dates. This would occur with all other existing tolerance zones in towns and cities. All those women were relocated in the workplace - sometimes set up for them - and officially declared  prostitution eradicated, and later on it was the turn of illiteracy.

Half a century later, prostitution has spread like a pandemic: they are no longer deceived, uneducated country girls forced to work in any seedy slum, now there are from college to ones who still suck their thumbs, or wives permitted by their husbands, and can be seen all the same in the main avenues of the city than in hotels of any number of stars. All educated and healthy, would said to please them the one in head who once claimed their honor.

It's mean, that neither before nor after the revolutionary triumph prostitution has been considered a criminal activity, rather always the prostitutes were considered victims of the socio-economic conditions and, although tarnished the image of "socialist morality", the Penal Code does not typifies as criminals.

So with what right these sex workers are harassed, detained and fined by the agents of the National Revolutionary Police, and even to those who are not residents of the capital of all Cubans, were expelled to their home provinces with an official letter of discriminatory warning?

Maybe everything will change soon, and thanks to Mariela Castro and his work trips to European brothels, whores here can step up to organize and contribute to the socialist economy as another self-employed.