Four Foreigners Jailed in Cuba for Sexual Abuse of Children

HAVANA – Four foreign citizens – a Canadian, an Indian and two Italians – have been sentenced to prison in Cuba for the sexual abuse of children, while another two are awaiting trial for similar offenses, an official report released on Tuesday said.

Specifically, a Canadian has been sentenced to 13 years behind bars in Cuba for the sexual abuse of minors, an Indian was sentenced to 30 years for that crime plus drug trafficking, while the two Italians face 23 and 25 years in prison, respectively, for murder and the corruption of minors.

Details of the sentences were revealed in an official Cuban report about the fight against prostitution and other forms of sexual abuse in 2013, published Tuesday on the Web site of the Foreign Ministry.

In the case of the foreigners, the document states that “they were proved to have sexual relations with minors in Cuba.”

It adds that another two individuals, a Briton and a Spaniard, “are awaiting trial on charges of having sexual relations with minors.”

In 2013, Cuba tried a total of 144 cases associated with crimes of child prostitution, sexual abuse and procuring, of which 13 showed “conduct characteristic of people trafficking,” for which they were sentenced to between 3 and 14 years in jail.

“During 2013, there were no cases of the sale or trafficking of children for sexual purposes, and examples of child prostitution were minimal,” the report said.

The Cuban government also said that the island “is not a destination, transit route or source of people trafficking, particularly for the sexual abuse of children, nor the base for criminal organizations engaging in those crimes.