{"id":325920,"date":"2025-07-18T17:06:34","date_gmt":"2025-07-18T21:06:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/?p=325920"},"modified":"2025-07-18T17:06:34","modified_gmt":"2025-07-18T21:06:34","slug":"who-has-the-right-to-talk-about-poverty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/opinion\/columns\/the-streets\/who-has-the-right-to-talk-about-poverty\/","title":{"rendered":"Who has the right to talk about poverty?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Various signs foreshadowed <\/span>the latest ministerial nonsense<\/b><\/a>, which merely represents a strident expression \u2014 somewhat unexpected by its spokesperson \u2014 of the usual way official discourse constructs and conveys the narrative about Cuban reality. This is nothing new: it has precedents in the authorities\u2019 habitual refusal to use the word poverty, as well as in the term \u201cSpecial Period in Peacetime\u201d to designate the crisis of the 1990s, and other variants are introduced in the post-COVID-19 era.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It is a narrative that evades the most explanatory terms to refer to the crisis \u2014 <\/span>the polycrisis<\/b><\/a> \u2014 we are experiencing, and prefers to call it \u201cthe complex situation\u201d: economic, energy, supply, meteorological, health, epidemiological, food production, and so on.<\/span><\/p>\n

This way of naming things draws a sectorized map that undervalues the articulations, synchronizations, and mutual reinforcement of individual \u201ccomplex situations.\u201d This prevents politics from grasping the exponential impact of its concatenation and attenuates its general, structural, and systemic nature.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is unacceptable that when analyzing the causes of the \u201ccomplex situation,\u201d the U.S. blockade is foregrounded, and then \u201cour own mistakes\u201d are mentioned, without specifying exactly what they are, or accounting for them, or assuming responsibility at the appropriate level.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It is also true that the government\u2019s program for managing \u201cthe complex situation\u201d is defined as correcting distortions and profound structural deviations and reactivating the economy, without specifically identifying these distortions or demonstrating the comprehensive strategy for structural change and model that a polycrisis demands.<\/span><\/p>\n

That, when addressing criticisms, demands and protests arising from the precariousness of daily life that the \u201ccomplex situation\u201d has generated for the entire population \u2014 especially for at least 45% of those living in poverty (according to my own calculations) \u2014 the government chooses to frame them, for the most part, as illegitimate, mercenary or violent; to demoralize or repress such attitudes, without opening the option for dialogue between diverse and knowledgeable citizens who want to contribute to the peaceful and collaborative foundation of a better country.<\/span><\/p>\n

This way of constructing reality with words and data that diminish problems has its counterpart in the field of social issues. <\/span>La Calle<\/b><\/a> column has already addressed the issue with concern, <\/span>pointing out<\/b><\/a>, for example, that the preference for multidimensional poverty as an approach to measuring progress toward the 2030 Agenda goals \u2014 and considering that personal and family income is not decisive for meeting essential needs \u2014 dramatically underestimates the true proportion of disadvantaged groups and the magnitude of their daily plight.<\/span><\/p>\n

Likewise, about <\/span>an article<\/b><\/a> in the <\/span>Granma<\/span><\/i> newspaper last March, this column showed that, after the fair and necessary declaration that begging is a social phenomenon linked to inequality and poverty, the article focuses on showing its links with practices that violate the law, constitute crimes and are therefore punishable.<\/span><\/p>\n

The article\u2019s author adds that families are required by law to meet needs for sustenance, housing, health, recreation, and personal and emotional care, and that, when this is not possible, the State \u2014 through the Social Assistance system \u2014 is responsible for their protection.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Photo: EFE\/Yander Zamora.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

New episodes of problems from the past<\/b><\/h3>\n

The Provincial Department of Labor and Social Security in Santiago de Cuba told the <\/span>Sierra Maestra<\/span><\/i> newspaper that family failure to comply with the provisions of the new <\/span>Family Code<\/b><\/a> \u2014 which clearly defines responsibilities toward vulnerable members \u2014 is one of the main causes identified for the increase in homeless people in the city.<\/span><\/p>\n

In April of this year, the Ministry of Labor and Social Security announced the approval of new regulations for vagrants. The purpose is to modernize community social services that contribute to the rehabilitation and social reintegration of these individuals, through social protection centers and multidisciplinary teams chaired by the mayor and comprised of social workers, health representatives, and the National Revolutionary Police. In cases involving minors, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of the Interior are also involved.<\/span><\/p>\n

The teams evaluate each case, seeking personalized and sustainable solutions, such as family reintegration, relocation to the provinces of origin, placement in institutions, or access to subsidies and temporary housing. Medical care and social and psychological support are also included to restore a sense of belonging and self-esteem.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Photo: EFE\/Yander Zamora.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Making begging visible and addressing it as a situation of extreme deprivation, and establishing services for its protection, is a step forward in terms of recognizing the critical social situation in the country and policies for rights and social inclusion.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, the law introduces a very partial definition of people living on the streets: \u201cwandering behavior is a multi-causal human behavioral disorder that constitutes a lifestyle characterized by instability and insecurity in the home, a lack of self-care and economic autonomy, family care or support, as well as a favorable life plan, or a combination of these factors. It is usually evidenced through the violation of the norms of coexistence and social discipline.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Vagrant behavior isn\u2019t immoral, indolence is<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n