The entry into force of the Children, Adolescents, and Youth Code (Law 178/2025) has consolidated an institutional system in Cuba designed to guarantee the rights of children and adolescents through the creation of the Comprehensive Protection System, the Granma newspaper reported.
The new framework responds to the 2019 constitutional mandate and the 2022 Family Code, recognizing new generations as full subjects of rights and establishing mechanisms to make them effective.
Among its guiding principles is the recognition of children as developing individuals and subjects of special protection, with shared responsibility among families, educational institutions, and state entities to ensure inclusive and violence-free environments.
The structure is organized into seven specialized subsystems: Education, Health, Protection against Violence, Alternative Care, Social Protection, Prevention and Early Intervention, and Juvenile Criminal Justice, each with specific functions to address the diverse dimensions of children’s and adolescents’ lives.
In the area of violence, the system provides support services, legal assistance, and psychological care, in addition to mandatory protocols in institutions for the detection, reporting, and follow-up of cases.
Alternative care guarantees the right to live in a family environment through modalities such as foster care or institutional care, the latter being exceptional and temporary, always under judicial decision.
Juvenile criminal justice prioritizes restorative and socio-educational measures over sanctions, with an express prohibition of the death penalty and life imprisonment, and separation from adult facilities.
Protective measures can be administrative or judicial, ranging from family support to removal from the child’s environment, always as an exceptional measure, with the child’s right to be heard and the participation of advocates and technical teams.
National leadership rests with the Commission for Children, Adolescents, and Youth, chaired by a deputy prime minister and composed of heads of 11 ministries. The Commission holds regular sessions every two months to approve guidelines, evaluate legislative proposals, and guarantee the active participation of children in decisions that affect them.
At the provincial level, the commissions are chaired by the governors, while at the municipal level, priority is given to risk identification and the receipt of complaints and reports, ensuring coordinated operation at all levels.
This institutional framework represents a decisive step in the comprehensive protection of children in Cuba and establishes mechanisms for monitoring and periodic evaluation to guarantee its effectiveness.
[ SOURCE: AGENCIA CUBANA DE NOTICIAS ]
