On his Twitter account, the Cuban foreign minister described the debate as enriching, in which he offered details on the results of the referendum, its inclusive nature and the benefits of the new law for Cuban society.

Last Sunday, the Cuban population endorsed with 66.87% of the votes the legal norm, which seeks the realization of the person, not only from consanguinity, but also in good behavior, in attention and care and in the solidarity.

According to experts, the Code ratified by Cubans recognizes dignity as the supreme value and foundation of the rest of the rights recognized in the 2019 Constitution, and offers legal security to each person with disabilities, condemns family abuse and respects family diversity. .

(With information from Prensa Latina)

(Publicado en el sitio de la Asamblea Nacional)

Previously, a broad popular consultation process was developed, where 6,481,200 voters participated with 336,595 interventions in more than 79,000 meetings, which led to changes to 49.15% of the content of the project.

In general, the Family Code:

It seeks to recognize and protect vulnerable sectors of society.
There is an intentional treatment against discrimination and violence in the family space.
Recognizes the rights of older adults.
It incorporates the possibility of solidary gestation.
Transformation of a system of authority to one of responsibility in the relationship between mothers and fathers with their children.
It develops the right of all people to found a family and marry.
Family caregivers are named and recognized.

The new proposal of the family substantive text has as background Law No. 1289 of February 14, 1975, Family Code, modified in several of its precepts, essentially by Law No. 51, of July 15, 1985, of the Registry of Civil Status and Decree-Law No. 76 of January 20, 1984.

The project seeks to guarantee the rights of all people, regardless of the structure or form of organization they have opted for when forming a family, so that values ​​such as mutual respect, loyalty, solidarity, assistance reciprocal, as well as the affection between its members so that the family does not cease to be a moral entity, of a plural nature that has a single objective: to make those who compose it happy. It is about designing a normative body tailored to the Cuban society of these times.

At the end of the process, he told the press that it is going to be an intense day, which we arrived at as a result of a process that had to do with the construction of a fair, necessary, up-to-date, modern regulation that gives rights and guarantees to all people and diversities of families and creeds.

The president said that the Family Code has gone through a broad popular discussion process that has allowed a group of modifications. He recalled that they have worked with more than 25 versions of this legal norm.

“This Code started from popular debate, from a social need. In recent years our society has become more heterogeneous, Cuban families have changed and new types of relationships have appeared. There were debts with the treatment from legal norms to certain issues of inheritance and affection, and I think it was fair that they were taken into account at a time like this.

Díaz-Canel said that the regulations were also based on the study of situations and court cases, of the daily experiences of different types of families, of events that have occurred at a certain time, personal experiences. From these experiences —said the president— it is better understood why a Code was needed.

“The expectation is not that it will be a unanimous vote, but I do believe that it will be majority by our people,” said the president.

Likewise, he recognized that the Family Code includes issues that the people of Cuba still cannot understand.

“I think that in 62 years we have not overcome a criterion of patriarchy in some families, nor the understanding of diversity.”

We have respected the law and the opinion of all —said the first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba—, but there are people who have not understood that the Code does not deny the family they defend, but rather gives guarantees to that type and to others.

In his words to the press, Díaz-Canel said that there is a whole platform against the Code that starts from the demonization and discredit of the Cuban Revolution.

“There are people who demonstrate against the Code, especially on social media, using vulgar and hateful language. If the Code said the opposite of what it says, those haters would be criticizing it too. It is not a problem of convictions, reasoning, rationality or feelings, there are simply people who adopt that position because they consider that if it is a Code within the Revolution, then it should not be valid”.

The president considered that the expressions towards the Code have to do with the understandings that people have in their own family or creed conditions.

“I believe that we have also assumed a position of courage by calling a referendum in the conditions that the country is going through: shortages, blackouts, shortages, with an important part of the economy paralyzed due to the intensification of the measures applied by President Trump in his mandate and maintained by the current administration of the United States.”

The first secretary of the PCC said that it has already been won, because regardless of whether the vote is yes or no, “we were all less selfish and looked more towards families and society.”

In this sense he added: “We all learned more about what our family and social realities were. Only the popular debate that has been generated and the way in which people have stopped to think about issues that at a given moment were not in their interest has already contributed to our society in terms of spirituality and feelings in relation to the family” .

Due to the depth and scope of the Family Code and the diversity of topics, the president considered that this is a monumental work. It has been subjected to two citizen participation processes, the Popular Consultation and the Referendum.

“That tells us that the country is on the way to continue expanding its military.

“That tells us that the country is on the way to continue expanding its democratic and participatory exercise, within the socialist Constitution. Each time the legal norms approved by the National Assembly of People’s Power are reached with more participation, seeking more criteria from the population”, commented the president.

In this regard, he stressed that all these laws and decree laws that are being prepared and approved, as well as public and government policies, are advised by groups of experts, so that all these regulations emerge from the outset with legal robustness, with a humanistic approach, towards socialism and from the treatment of integrality.

Miguel Díaz Canel Bermúdez, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) and President of the Republic, Photo: Abel Padrón Padilla/ Cubadebate.

“My expectation is that the majority of the population will vote yes. We have to get used to the fact that on such complex issues, where there is a diversity of criteria, there are people who can give a vote of punishment, because even if they have nothing against the Code, they assume a position determined by disgust because of the complex situation they are going through. . That is also legitimate,” said the head of state.

Likewise, he said that we cannot solve the economic problems that we have and then build a legal norm like this. “If a majority vote is yes, then it takes a tremendous effort because there is a group of constructions that support everything that the Code recognizes in terms of guarantees and rights.”

Most people understand that we are growing, assured Miguel Díaz-Canel.

“When we overcome the complex situations we are going to have a Code at the society level that helps and gives guarantees. I strongly believe in the participation and wisdom of our people. In addition, we have worked with transparency and loyalty. There was a constitutional mandate and we have fulfilled it in the times agreed by the National Assembly, regardless of the complex situation in the country.”

“The Code must be read, interpreted and assumed from and with the heart, always putting oneself in the place of others. The Code breaks taboos and prejudices. The most important thing is that we have grown as a society”, concluded the Cuban president.

(By: Thalía Fuentes Puebla y Abel Padrón Padilla/Cubadebate)

The president of the National Electoral Council, Alina Balseiro, explained that the electoral steps taken are very important, both the dynamic test and the vote abroad, planned as established in the program.

She affirmed that in the test carried out this Sunday in the Cuban nation some difficulties were identified, however, the electoral body will work to resolve the problems presented.

Meanwhile, she noted that all the conditions have been created for Cubans to exercise their right to vote next Sunday.

Recently, Balseiro confirmed that the 168 municipalities in the country have activated the electoral structure, and have the documentation and other inputs that ensure the development of the voting, in which more than 200,000 people participate.

She also specified that the legislative process will take place in the more than 24,000 authorized polling stations in the country.

Likewise, she told national television that more than 400,000 young people will vote for the first time; that the referendum will allow Cuban men and women to exercise their right to vote with complete transparency and democratically elect a law that is committed to the well-being and happiness of all families.

On September 25, Cubans will take the legislative norm to a popular referendum, considered transcendent due to the breadth of rights and opportunities that it guarantees to all people.

(With information from Prensa Latina)

Schools open in China for Cuban collaborators and officials in that country
Beijing. China.- The electoral colleges authorized for collaborators and other Cuban citizens in missions in the Asian continent began the referendum that will decide whether or not the Family Code project is approved.

Due to the time difference, the embassies and consulates of the Greater Antilles in this part of the world were the first topen their doors this September 18, designated by the National Electoral Council (CNE) as the day for the vote of Cubans in the outside. This was the case, for example, with those existing in the Chinese capital and in the cities of Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Chengduo.

“The text that we will vote on today, which was unanimously adopted by our National Assembly, is humanist, ethical, supportive, inclusive, tolerant, that not only expands human rights, but also dignifies everyone regardless of sex, gender, sexual orientation. or identity,” said the Cuban ambassador to China, Carlos M. Pereira, minutes before casting his vote.

(Report by Itsván Ojeda Bello)

Cuban Embassy opens polling stations in three important Russian cities

The Cuban embassy in the Russian Federation opened three special polling stations this Sunday to endorse the new Family Code.

From 07:30 local time, Cubans who work, study or reside in Russia began to exercise their right to vote in the three open constituencies in the cities of Moscow, Ufa and Saint Petersburg, the ambassador told Prensa Latina exclusively. Julio Garmendia.

INDER athletes, collaborators and officials vote in different countries
Cuban collaborators, athletes and officials related to sports abroad vote this Sunday in different countries as part of the referendum for the new Family Code.

The coordinator of the island in the Barrio Adentro Deportivo Mission in Venezuela, Carlos Miguel Bermúdez, announced that everything is ready in that South American nation in coordination with the embassy and the office of social organizations.

The collaborators and 37 high-performance taekwondo, wrestling and boxing athletes have the conditions created to exercise the right to vote, the official told the digital publication Jit.

Athletes and coaches in Venezuelan territory contribute to the preparation of their respective disciplines for the XII South American Games in Asunción 2022, in Paraguay, scheduled for October 1 to 15.

With a similar purpose, a group of taekwondo athletes perform in Honduras, while in the International Parathletics Open in Cali 2022, Colombia, Antilleans participate and in the Dominican Republic mountain bike representatives.

In Serbia there are participants in the Belgrade World Wrestling Championship, and in the Czech Republic those selected to compete in the Racice Rowing World Championship.

A good number of these collaborators, athletes and officials reaffirmed their support for the new Family Code project on social networks and other platforms.

The Caribbean star of athletics for people with disabilities Omara Durand, who is attending a meeting of the International Paralympic Committee, assured that she will support that text.

Another group -according to the aforementioned sports media- will vote on the 25th on the island, after returning from their international commitments, in the special schools set up in the high-performance schools or in their respective constituencies.

The Family Code that is submitted for approval from this Sunday is based on principles such as plurality, inclusion, solidarity and the search for happiness for all people.

Cuban Foreign Minister votes for the new Family Code

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, voted in the referendum for the new Family Code, according to what the diplomat reported on his Twitter account.

The foreign minister exercised his right at the electoral college located at the headquarters of the Cuban mission to the United Nations, in New York.

From Beirut they describe the process that began this Sunday as broad and democratic
The head of the Cuban embassy in Lebanon, Jorge León, described the voting day as part of the referendum on the Family Code as broad and democratic.

Cubans in diplomatic and state service attended from the early hours of this Sunday to vote in the number one school of constituency 72, of the 123 centers that will open the polls abroad.

When speaking with Prensa Latina, León emphasized the participatory and inclusive nature of the debates on the Family Code, which was approved by the National Assembly of People’s Power (parliament) of the island last July.

The Antillean diplomat meant that the voting exercise constitutes support for the revolution and the strengthening of the unity of the fundamental cell of society, respect for human dignity, protection of the most vulnerable and equality of all its members.

He also highlighted that the opinions and proposals of all Cubans, inside and outside the country during the consultations, demonstrated the interest in contributing to the development of a free, independent, sovereign nation, of social justice and human solidarity.

On Sunday, September 25, citizens over the age of 16 throughout Cuba will decide whether to “approve” or “reject” the new Family Code.

Six million 481 thousand 200 people participated in the drafting of the new regulation, 75.93 percent of the voters, in more than 79 thousand meetings throughout the island, to modify the content of the project with the suggestions of the citizens.

To be applied as law, the Family Code must receive more than 50 percent of the valid votes.

In images, Cubans abroad participate in the vote of the popular referendum
The Special Electoral Commission of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Minrex) reports that it successfully concluded the vote abroad for the Referendum on the Family Code, held on September 18.

For the development of this democratic exercise, 123 special electoral districts and 1003 electoral colleges were set up, in which, complying with the formalities established in the Electoral Law, they offered the conditions required for the best satisfactory development of this process.

More than 22,000 Cuban citizens who were abroad for official reasons, including our collaborators and diplomats, cast their vote in this important referendum that will take place in the national territory on September 25.

The Special Electoral Commission of the Minrex, the entity in charge of organizing, directing and supervising the development of the referendum of the Family Code abroad, transferred – in accordance with current legal regulations – the results of the voting process to the National Electoral Council The Code of Families is one of the most important norms for the social life of the nation. This bill, based on the principles and values ​​enshrined in our Constitution, multiplies affections and adds rights.

(With information from Cubaminrex)

Exclusively to the Cuban News Agency, the official explained that the territory’s 3,891 polling stations will open this Sunday and the conditions for this process will be verified, although the voting rehearsal and data processing will be carried out in 4,000 chosen polling stations. .

From six in the morning and until one in the afternoon, the dynamic test will be carried out, in which the electoral authorities and the population will intervene, she said.

On September 25, the day of the popular referendum, it is expected that 1,626,047 capital voters will go to the polls to cast their vote for the new Family Code, a step that will decide on the entry into force of this important law.

Dupuy Zapata affirmed that several months ago the trainings in accordance with the electoral law began, the lists of voters were verified and updated, explanatory brochures were prepared and the system for processing the information was prepared.

I consider that the Code is very positive, inclusive, respects the decisions of people and the rights that the current law does not include, she asserted.

She highlighted that the legal norm protects grandparents, defends the possibility of same-sex marriage, the responsibility of parents and contemplates the different types of families. It is a Code for the future of all, she said.

The National Assembly of People’s Power of Cuba approved in its July 2022 session the new Family Code after a popular consultation process, which will enter into force if it receives the majority affirmative vote (yes) of the valid votes cast by the voters.

(Taken from ACN)

The new proposal of the family substantive text has as background Law No. 1289 of February 14, 1975, Family Code, modified in several of its precepts, essentially by Law No. 51, of July 15, 1985, of the Registry of Civil Status and Decree-Law No. 76 of January 20, 1984. Aware of the changes, needs, expectations and realities of the contemporary Cuban family, the 2019 Constitution of the Republic introduced a series of principles that have radically transformed the traditional criterion that of this important social group has prevailed for too long and of its rights as an institution, as well as those that correspond to each of its members, based on the value-principle of dignity that it enshrines as the essence of the rights of the person, which is nothing more than to say that the person has a value in itself, independent of any circumstance or internal or external quality; and it is particularly linked to the free development of the personality and the protection of family life without biases of inequality, all principles also enshrined in the constitutional text.

The recognition of the equality of all people before the law implies the same protection in the enjoyment of rights, freedoms and opportunities, without any discrimination due to any personal condition or circumstance that implies a distinction harmful to human dignity. Transferred to the family level, it means, among many manifestations, the right of all people to marry and found a family, to organize it in the way that their convictions dictate, to access all the institutions that are protected in the family space, to Balanced use of time that allows them to fully develop without domestic and care overloads and co-responsibility in the tasks of caring for the children and those that the rest of the members need in the different stages of their lives.

The right to free development of the personality protects the option that each person chooses the construction of their life project, that they decide the meaning of their own existence, according to their values, ideas, expectations and tastes. Taken to the level of the family, it supports the abolition of the requirement of heterosexuality to access figures protected by law such as marriage, de facto affective unions, adoption or motherhood and fatherhood through the use of assisted reproduction techniques; justifies the presence of divorces without requiring the need to air a reason for guilt, but rather that the will of the person is sufficient when they no longer wish to remain linked to their spouse, and the possibility of agreeing on the economic life of the couple, for only mention some examples of the concrete expression of that principle.

The Constitution dedicates the Third Chapter of Title V to the Families in its articles from 81 to 89. This location in the system of the First Law is not accidental nor is it meaningless; The protection of the family must be seen from the vision of protection of rights. The legal norm dedicated to its protection cannot be less. The approval of a Family Code in Cuba becomes an urgent need, felt and dreamed of by many based on regulations conceived with a deep ethical sense, with a vocation for plurality and inclusion, erected from affection, on the basis of respect to the difference and visibility of the most vulnerable sectors in the family order.

The project seeks to guarantee the rights of all people, regardless of the structure or form of organization they have opted for when forming a family, so that values ​​such as mutual respect, loyalty, solidarity, assistance reciprocal, as well as the affection between its members so that the family does not cease to be a moral entity, of a plural nature that has a single objective: make those who compose it happy. It is about designing a normative body tailored to the Cuban society of these times.

The text that will finally be taken to a referendum is divided into 11 titles, 474 articles, 5 transitory provisions and 44 final provisions, and its main aspects are consolidated, namely:

-Affection and solidarity are reinforced as the platforms and axes on which family relationships revolve. The project looks at families as a union of people linked by an affective, psychological, sentimental bond that are forced to a communion of life, so that they support each other. Thus, affection wins and is established as a legal value.

-There is an intentional treatment of discrimination and violence in the family space, with palpable legal effects in each circumstance in which it occurs and the possibility of its being denounced by any person who has knowledge of these facts.

-It seeks to recognize and protect the rights of vulnerable sectors of society that have often gone unnoticed in the eyes of the legislator; people who in the family space could be in some circumstance that places them in any situation of disadvantage and that usually concentrates on children and adolescents, people who are victims of violence, older adults, or people with disabilities. In the last two cases, a special title is dedicated to their rights to family life, autonomous and independent, free of violence, to choose a place of residence, to an accessible environment, to self-regulation of future protection, to participation and inclusion. social and family, family communication and support respectful of their preferences is an achievement of the new standard that is proposed.

-The rights of older adults are recognized, with special mention to grandfathers and grandmothers, who have transmitted values, traditions, customs, have forged family identity and have been architects of the work of caring for the younger generations, as an expression of high values, of loyalty, of respect for those who have preceded us. It is a debt that family law settles with them.

-Girls, boys and adolescents are treated as subjects of rights, with the possibility of exercising them, either by themselves or through their fathers, mothers and guardians, but in any case, based on respect for their individuality, to their progressive development, as they are people in formation, which does nothing more than respect the postulates of the Convention on the Rights of the Child that Cuba has signed. This seeks to promote decision-making, the assumption of responsibilities, the exercise of their rights and the demand for duties to the extent that they can form their own judgment.

-Kinship is transformed, firstly, because the sources of filiation are also transformed and secondly because kinship by affinity is strengthened. To the affiliation by consanguinity and by adoption, we add the one that has as its source the use of an assisted reproduction technique and the one that has its origin in socio-affectiveness. Kinship by affinity will not only depend on marriage but also on de facto affective unions and the legal regime of related mothers/fathers/grandparents/sons/daughters is structured. (stepmothers and stepfathers)

-The exercise of the freedom of family members to agree on different situations is allowed: mothers and fathers to agree on the distribution of custody and care of their sons and daughters, which includes the possibility of sharing them in harmony with the principles of co-responsibility and co-parenting; to the spouses to agree on the economic regime of their marriage; to the members of the affective de facto union to organize their coexistence; people to agree on the solution of family conflicts outside the judicial space through mediation or conciliation; mothers and fathers to reach agreements in the order of the surnames that their daughters and sons will bear.

-The right/duty of communication is reinforced, not only between mothers and fathers with their minor sons and daughters, but it also reaches the entire family group with a special look at the mechanisms of its guarantee in people with disabilities.

-There is a transition from a system of authority to a system of responsibility in the relationship between mothers and fathers towards their children, which, far from being weakened, enhances and reinforces the powers of legal representation and administration of their children’s assets, their rights and the duty to have them with them, take care of them, offer them love, emotional stability, educate them without violence, respect their own characteristics taking into account their growth and gradual development.

-The economic value of work in the home and greater economic and patrimonial protection are reinforced for those who have dedicated themselves to domestic and care work.
Figures of protection and friendly support are developed with the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities such as de facto guardians, foster care, guardianship only for minors or voluntary food.

-Care is recognized as a right and family caregivers are named and recognized, based on the protection of their rights when they fully or partially assume responsibility for the care of another person who is part of their family. It is about achieving a balance, on the one hand, the right that every person has to care and, on the other hand, that of someone who, renouncing many of their personal and professional projects, dedicates themselves to the care of their relatives.

-It is worth noting the projected reform, still superficial, of the Civil Code that also reacts to two fundamental elements, which are not the only ones:
The transformation of the legal regime of legal capacity regulated in the Civil Code, consistent with the paradigms of effective participation, social and family inclusion, physical and cognitive accessibility.
Concrete responses to this scourge of family violence.

Finally, the look at families must be in the plural, from their denomination and this has a symbolic value in the language of the family legislator, respecting the language used by the constituent and the various family realities.

In the drafting of the proposed text, the discourse has been taken care of, not only in a rational sense from the inclusive but from the use of terminology in some institutions of family law, appropriate to the social changes that are proposed as a transmitter of values. . That is why expressions such as “patria potestad” convey to us the representation of a society with a typical patriarchal family model, which has been replaced today by an idea of ​​a family in which equality prevails and emphasizes the responsibility with which the rights and duties established for the protection of the child must be exercised.

The important thing is to accompany the reference to their condition as a person and promote the replacement of these expressions, which aim more to emphasize immaturity or incapacity or diminution or deficiency, than in the potentiality of the person.

Likewise, views have been taken advantage of not only from Law but also from related sciences such as Psychology, Sociology, Medicine, Demography, Pedagogy, Statistics, among others, but not with a compassionate or merely tolerant vision of the new family models, but with a vocation for ecumenism that the constitutional plural exalts.

Between September 29 and October 15, 2021, the Specialized Consultation process was carried out and between the months of February and April of the current year, the Popular Consultation process was carried out. The results were announced by the National Electoral Council on May 15, 2022: more than 61.96% of the participants in the popular consultation expressed themselves in favor of the entire text.

The final text that will be submitted for the ratification of the Sovereign is the sum of all the criteria provided by specialists and by the people in the neighborhood assemblies and in the discussions in the workplaces, universities, and other student centers, analyzed exhaustively and punctually. and taken into account except those that cause a manifest inconsistency with the rights enshrined in the Constitution and the international treaties to which Cuba is a party.

These are, in essence, those that imply limiting the access of all people to all the institutions that the text protects with special emphasis on marriage, to constitute an affective de facto union, to the adoption or use of reproduction techniques assisted that violates the rights to found a family, whatever its form of organization and maternity and paternity; or to eliminate the positive notion of upbringing without violence, or the notion of the relationship of mothers and fathers with their children based on responsibility, or the references to the progressive autonomy of children and adolescents that contradicts the Convention of the Rights of the Child, its Observations and Recommendations.

A quick look at the main modifications incorporated allows us to summarize them in the following:

The WHEREAS are expanded as a text in which the reasons for which it is written are explained and the objectives it intends to achieve are explained based on the transformations that have occurred in the family and Cuban society that justify a change in the norm and exalt the role played by all in the conception of it.

The right to care and the effective protection that those who assume such a noble task deserve is expressly recognized, based on the recognition of care as the foundation for the development of humanity and the sustainability of societies, which implies its social valorization and its fair distribution. and allows promoting the implementation of positive action measures that guarantee the full enjoyment and its effective fulfillment and the real equality of opportunities and treatment.

The protection of children and adolescents is extended to exceptional and disaster situations: It is part of the action of the Cuban State that is only reinforced with the explicit recognition in the family norm. Recently, the guarantee of this right was verified as a result of the accident at the Hotel Saratoga in Havana; All the children had their health and education guaranteed immediately after the catastrophe.

The principle of the best interest of girls, boys and adolescents and their assessment guidelines are intertwined with the duties that assist them: their recognition as subjects of rights implies that they are also holders of duties. Especially respecting their relatives, participating and taking joint responsibility for the care of the home and the performance of domestic tasks according to their age and regardless of their gender.

Urgent protection against discrimination and violence is reinforced and the possibility of filing a complaint is extended to anyone who knows about these facts, beyond protection in the judicial sphere.

Clarity in the definition of solidarity gestation is improved, its distinction with the assumptions that generate multiparenthood, a term is established to start the process and the figure is further shielded.

Rules of personal content of the exercise of parental responsibility and those that link the consent of both holders of parental responsibility are outlined, for example, for departures from the national territory and its impact on the eventual abduction or retention of children and adolescents. .

The option of recording in a notarial deed the delegation of part of the exercise of parental responsibility and guardianship and care in favor of third parties is incorporated: if the agreements of the members of the families are respected and these do not undermine the interest above, the option of assuming these agreements by writing is enabled.

The Family Code is one of the most important norms for the social life of the nation. It breaks the traditional paradigms on which it has been based to build a more democratic Law, as well as supportive and responsible; extends its protective mantle to all people, by multiplying affections and adding rights.

It is, in short, a norm that responds to the principles and dictates of the Cuban Constitution of 2019 and, like it, is inclusive, pluralistic, insofar as it strengthens the meaning and search for fulfillment of the person, of their happiness. , from the recognition of dignity as the supreme value and foundation of the rest of the constitutional rights recognized in it.

(By: Dr. Ana María Álvarez Tabío. Posted in: Think Right)

Professor Olga Esther Infante, from the University of Medical Sciences of Havana, explained that the term ‘pandemic exhaustion’ is perceived by the Cuban family, a concept coined by the World Health Organization in reference to a state of fatigue, lack of motivation and apathy. Infante specified in a televised conference that this lack of motivation leads to a relaxation of personal self-care and increases the risk of contagion, as well as affectations among group members such as irritability and manifestations of anxiety that can generate conflicts.

The also secretary of the National Group of Psychology of the Ministry of Public Health commented that authors speak of ‘family fatigue’ associated with the overload of assuming new roles such as work spaces, study and, in the case of women, it is more evident because they share various activities within the home.

She identified denial, evasion and a certain uncritical familiarity as the psychological mechanisms present themselves in the face of the prolongation of the health crisis ‘because people have become accustomed to receiving so much information and the time comes when they do not respond to this situation.’

She warned about the role of the family as the maximum responsible for the care of children and adolescents, given the confirmed cases with the disease in the group of children under 20 years of age, amounting to 21 thousand 59 since the beginning of the pandemic.

On the other hand, she pointed out as strengths within the family nucleus communication, cohesion, adequate housing spaces, socioeconomic conditions and systemic relationships that influence the behavior of its members.

‘For young people and adolescents in Cuba, the most valued social group is the family. We are confined, but we are with people with whom we have important emotional ties and that mitigates having to be at home. The Cuban family is given to solidarity, to receive and to offer support and that constitutes a strength ‘, she emphasized.

In her opinion, without underestimating what the confrontation with Covid-19 has represented, Cubans have social guarantees such as free public health, salary protection for the sick, among others.

To avoid negative situations at this stage, the expert recommended seeking professional help in the presence of psychological exhaustion, doing physical exercises, respecting life schedules and individual space, as well as communication within and outside the family environment.

(Taken from Prensa Latina)

Like any institution, the family is a social grouping that requires special attention from government in terms of its needs, including balancing work and home responsibilities and reducing domestic violence, among others.

Families vary, in terms of their composition, structure, and functioning. As our Constitution states, all different types are of interest to society as a whole, as is guaranteeing their rights and welfare. Policies and programs in many areas have an impact on families, often in unnoticed ways and perhaps not all families in the same way.

In the context of the current pandemic, the role of protecting family members becomes more important and requires more time and dedication. Taking care of our health, staying home, not going out unnecessarily, reporting any symptoms, being disciplined and responsible are priorities for our society now, to which families are fundamental.

There are those who think that the value of this institution is only apparent in happy moments, peaceful times, or that its function is to serve as an emotional refuge and solve daily problems. The value of families is evident and increases when each member assumes a responsible role within the unit, for the welfare, development and happiness of all members. It is essential that everyone participates in activities and tasks that support the family, that they share not only tastes and interests, but also responsibilities, and are concerned for each other.

The traditional division of productive and reproductive functions in households, based on sex, does not reflect our current reality. Increasingly, women around the world are engaged in productive work outside the home. In the case of Cuba, women participate in all sectors of the economy, and the economic function of many families has become more complex in recent years, as more and new forms of non-state work have emerged, in which several of members participate. These families have gone from being consumers to being producers of goods and services, and have established new forms of economic and personal relations among themselves.

Nevertheless, women continue to bear the greatest responsibility for reproductive functions, family care and household chores. A fundamental challenge around the world is ensuring that men and women share equal rights and duties in society. Gender equality in the home, the sharing of family responsibilities between men and women, and women’s participation in employment are basic elements of this challenge.

The family also plays an important role in education – in schools and beyond – and functions as an active mediator in transmitting human values, cultural identity and preserving intergenerational ties. In these times of pandemic, families have been key to ensuring that our children, adolescents and youth continue their studies through television classes, develop new study skills, and have access to enriching cultural products.

Good family communication is also essential, taking advantage of opportunities to talk with our children, since time is often short and everyone busy. It is a matter of encouraging frank, open and, above all, constructive communication, aimed at solving problems together – not arguing or fighting, much less using violence.

It is important to recognize that families are not passive agents of development, but that their special role and contributions to positive initiatives for development must be considered and made visible. In no way does this mean delegating all responsibilities to families. We are living in times of pandemic, an experience in co-responsibility for health care, with the state, the non-state economic sector, communities, families and the people themselves, all playing their part – a good practice to consider and implement in addressing other problems. In this context, Cuban families have demonstrated their strength in dealing with difficult conditions, based on the guarantees provided by the revolutionary government’s policies and programs, implemented for their protection and development, such as free universal education and health care, social security, and respect for and protection of the rights of children, women and all persons, as established in our Constitution.

Families are not only units of co-habitation, but also networks of support that are essential in confronting situations like the one we are facing right now, in which Cuban women have demonstrated an enormous capacity for resistance and creativity.

It is worth noting that, in the context of limitations on social interaction imposed by COVID-19, families have not lost their role in the education of younger generations, seen, for example, in support of school activities and the development of solidarity and internationalist values among children and youth. Families also contribute to preserving national and cultural identity, of critical importance given the cultural onslaught of globalized consumerism and individualism.

Concern for and attention to families as the basic units of society have always been priorities for the Revolution, at the forefront of which is the transformative work of the Federation of Cuban Women, in close collaboration with state institutions such as the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Labor and Social Security.

If there is one thing the organization has emphasized, it is that all initiatives to contribute to the well-being and development of Cuban families can be improved. Reflecting on new ways to better serve families, to help them more, participating with them in the solution of problems and learning from their experiences, is an everyday, pending task.

(Source: Granma)