At the same time American politicians promote a travel ban that seriously damages United States efforts to identify and prosecute child sex tourism. Few people in Cuba want to talk about prostitution. Denial that prostitution is rampant in the tourist sector is an outright lie. Anyone who disagrees is invited to walk down Obispo Street with me this is a serious offer.
You will think the only services offered to tourists in Havana Vieja are taxis and blowjobs. Police are often witness to the solicitation. I know right now those readers who defend Cuba out of reactionary habit are preparing their anecdotal story about how sex crimes with minors are prosecuted in Cuba.
And those stories are probably true. Not the crime, not the societal problem, not the obvious police corruption and not even the successful prosecution of what I am left to imagine are a very small percentage of cases are addressed at any level higher than street gossip among neighbors. Child sex tourism or child rape tourism as it should be known as not only exists, but is literally killing Cuban children. I refer here to a good piece of journalism from the Miami Herald about a 12 year old girl who was statutorily raped to death by European and Cuban tourists.
The Cuban authorities acted appropriately and tried and jailed the rapists. Of course we read nothing in the local newspapers about the crime or punishment. In a problem this grave both Cuba and the United States share blame.
In the United States the story ran one day in the Miami-Herald and I could not find any syndication in other newspapers, not even the European ones. The same day the Toronto Star ran an article about child rape tourism in Cuba originating from Canada after a lengthy Canadian Government investigation of the sick enterprise.
