The trial resulted in penalties for seven residents of Las Tunas, five of them for illegally renting space in their homes to an Italian citizen, who had sex with five young women including two year-olds and one year old , between and The age of the other two was not mentioned. The initial indictment was for a crime of procurement and human trafficking, although only three of those involved were convicted. Those involved were arrested in late March In August, the authorities found in the province of Granma the body of a year-old girl, apparently murdered.
In connection with this incident, three Italian citizens were arrested along with at least 12 residents in the eastern territory of the country. After the discovery of the body, the authorities unleashed a major operation in Bayamo, which was concentrated on city residents who rented their homes to foreigners.
Most of the houses were confiscated. However, popular versions of the facts indicate that the child visited a rented house where they were holding a party with foreigners, and there she consumed high amounts of alcohol and drugs.
In June , the Committee for the Elimination of Discrimination against Women called on the Government of Cuba to expand official programs so that Cubans could achieve economic independence and, thereby, eliminate the need to resort to prostitution.
Ten years later, in June , the United States reaffirmed Cuba as a country where people are trafficked. Earlier, in , the U. For its part, the Committee for the Elimination of Discrimination against Women also recommended that the Cuban government analyze the causes of prostitution and the results of preventive and rehabilitative measures taken, in order to make them more effective.
