Cuba

Victim Assistance

Last updated: 05 May 2017

The Republic of Cuba has a free and universal healthcare system.[1] The Cuban Association of Physically Disabled Persons (Asociación Cubana de Limitados Físico-Motores, ACLIFIM) has provided a support network for persons with physical disabilities. As of December 2015, it represented over 74,000 members.[2]

Cuba was not known to have domestic law that expressly prohibited discrimination against persons with disabilities. Persons with disabilities are entitled to equal pay and equal access to work. Legislation requires that buildings and transportation services accommodate the accessibility needs of persons with disabilities, however access remained a challenge. The Ministry of Labor and Social Security managed an employment program for persons with disabilities.[3]

Handicap International has a socio-economic inclusion program for persons with disabilities in the province of Granma. As of October 2016, there had been almost 2,400 beneficiaries from the program, which seeks to develop sustainable local employment opportunities for persons with disabilities.[4]

Cuba ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on 6 September 2007.



[1]Prevention better than cure in Cuban healthcare system,” BBC News Services, 13 December 2015.

[2] ACLIFIM, “Estadisticas” (“Statistics”), undated but 2016.

[3] United States Department of State, “2016 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Cuba,” Washington, DC, 3 March 2017.

[4] Handicap International US, “Cuba,” undated.