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TEN MEASURES TO BENEFIT THE CUBAN FAMILY

A Statement from Consenso Cubano


Three years ago, Consenso Cubano felt it was necessary to promote measures that would directly benefit the Cuban people and families while continuing to work towards a democratic, non-violent, sovereign and definitive future for Cuba.

Based on its foundational pillars, Consenso Cubano identified three specific areas of rights and liberties that are of strong humanitarian significance for Cuban families. Accordingly, it proposed the adoption of measures in the following areas:

1) The right to freely exit and enter the homeland, to freely choose place of residency, and family reunification.

2) The right to accessible and fluid communication, at market prices.

3) The right to send and receive individual and material assistance to family.

During his electoral campaign, President Barack Obama announced a series of measures that corresponded, for the most part, with the proposals of Consenso Cubano. Today, almost every measure the U.S. government was responsible for implementing has been put into effect by the pertinent institutions.  In addition, there are other measures that the U.S. government and Cuban authorities are currently negotiating, such as the normalization of regular air mail between Cuba and the United States. These measures would undoubtedly benefit the Cuban family in a direct and tangible way.

However, little has been done by the Cuban government regarding the concrete steps and measures that were expected to be taken in order to implement these changes. Today, the Cuban family continues to wait for the steps that were identified three years ago under the following 10 crucial measures:

  1. Abolition of the permits demanded by the Cuban government from its citizens to enter and exit the country and the repeal of the migratory status of so-called “definitive exit”.
  2. Abolition of the regulations and laws that impede Cubans from freely establishing their residency, temporarily or permanently, in Cuba and abroad.
  3. Elimination of the mandatory use of foreign currency to pay for the paper work required to exit Cuba and the revision and readjustment of their current cost.
  4. Cessation of the Cuban government’s confiscation of goods, termination of jobs, and other harassing measures against those who migrate.
  5. To prioritize and facilitate migration cases related to family reunification.
  6. Modification by the Cuban government of the fees for long-distance phone calls to be consistent with regional market standards.
  7. To liberalize and facilitate access of Cubans citizens to the internet and e-mail services, with fees that correspond to regional market standards.
  8. Abolition of all the measures that restrict the acquisition of computers and communications equipment by the Cuban people.
  9.  Abolition of the excessive taxation and restrictions placed on remittances and aid packages received from abroad, guided by the standard average costs prevalent in the region.
  10. To allow Cubans living in the Island to use the remittances and family assistance to establish small enterprises and self-employment activities.

For Consenso Cubano, the present norms and laws limiting the liberty of the Cuban people to travel freely and to keep fluid communication and mutual support between the Island’s residents and its Diaspora are violations of the fundamental rights that particularly harm the Cuban family. It is for this reason that we insist on the immediate elimination of the barriers that hinder, limit, and harm the free exercise of these rights.

Based on the above mentioned considerations, Consenso Cubano calls upon Cuban families to, as a whole, claim these just measures from Cuban authorities. We equally ask governments, institutions, organizations, churches and religious institutions of all denominations, as well as people of good will from around the globe, to join us in this constructive effort.

  Miami. 28 October 2009


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