There are thousands of de facto slave workers from Cuba worldwide, including in the European Union.
Industry & EmploymentInternational and European Union
- Omissions
- The MEP used 'thousands' when official sources document a scale of tens of thousands: the US Embassy in Cuba reported more than 22,000 government-affiliated Cuban workers abroad in 2023 alone, and the BIICL estimates around 400,000 Cuban healthcare professionals have been sent abroad over time.
- The phrase 'de facto slave workers' is a political characterisation; official and legal sources use the more precise terminology of 'forced labour' and 'human trafficking', which are recognised as contemporary forms of slavery under ILO conventions.
- No source was found that separately quantifies the number of Cuban workers specifically deployed within the European Union, though their presence in EU countries (Italy, Portugal, and others) is documented.
- Most corroborating sources are published by US government entities or human rights organisations; no primary EU institutional source was found that independently quantifies the phenomenon within the EU.
- Sources
- PrimaryUS Embassy in CubaIn 2023, there were more than 22,000 government-affiliated Cuban workers in over 53 countries, and medical professionals composed 75 percent of those workers. The Cuban government systematically exploits these workers through forced labour and human trafficking schemes.
- PrimaryUS Department of StateThe greatest number of Cuban workers in foreign countries are medical professionals. The Cuban government profits from the labour of these workers by charging foreign governments fees far exceeding what it pays the workers, retaining the majority of their earnings — a practice described as forced labour and human trafficking.
- SecondaryBritish Institute of International and Comparative Law (BIICL)Around 400,000 Cuban healthcare professionals are estimated to have been sent abroad to provide medical assistance during short-term health crises. The project addresses forced labour concerns in Cuban medical missions.
- SecondaryHuman Rights Without Frontiers (HRWF)Cuban doctors and healthcare personnel assigned to work abroad are victims of human trafficking and exploitation similar to slavery by their own government. The issue has been raised in the European Parliament. Cuban doctors have been deployed to EU countries including Italy and Portugal.