Cuban Government Tightens Family Control: Threatens to Revoke Custody from Parents Who Fail to Instill "Patriotic Love"

A recent article in the official Cuban newspaper Granma, penned by Diana Rosa Simón Gutiérrez, a prosecutor with the Family Protection Directorate, has sparked significant concern among legal experts, human rights activists, and Cuban citizens. Under the headline "What is the Responsibility of Mothers and Fathers Regarding Their Minor Children?", the piece reaffirms the threat that parents might lose custody of their children if they fail to fulfill what the regime defines as their duty to instill "patriotic values".

While the article is framed as a guide to parental duties, its tone and content serve as a thinly veiled political warning: the Cuban state reserves the right to intervene—and punish—families whose principles or actions contradict the official narrative, even if it means removing parental responsibility.

The Legal Pretext: Duties and Patriotism

Published on Monday in Granma, the article dissects various articles of the Family Code and the Cuban Constitution to justify the state's powers over children and family matters. It cites Articles 81, 84, and 136, all of which focus on parents' duty to ensure the "comprehensive" development of their children and their upbringing in values such as dignity, honesty, and love for the homeland.

Article 138 of the Code mandates that parents must "instill respect for national symbols and love for family, work, and the country". As recently pointed out by the non-governmental organization Cubalex, the Cuban regime uses the new Family Code as a coercive tool, turning minors into political leverage against their parents.

This approach becomes problematic when accompanied by criminal and administrative penalties that allow for any criticism of the government, civic dissent, or even a social media post to be interpreted as a serious breach of these duties.

The Political Use of "Parental Responsibility"

The concept of "parental responsibility", according to Article 136 of the Family Code, encompasses the duties and rights parents exercise over their minor children. However, in practice, this definition has been stretched in Cuba to include ideological factors.

Article 191 of the Code lists "vicious", "criminal", or behaviors that endanger a child's physical and psychological development as grounds for losing custody. The crucial question is: who decides what behaviors are "criminal" or "risky"? In a system where the law is subordinate to political power, prosecutors, judges, and Ministry of the Interior (MININT) agents have wide discretionary powers.

The image accompanying the article in Granma strikingly illustrates this: a group of children wave a Cuban flag, some dressed in pioneer uniforms. The visual message reinforces the idea that the ideal child, from the state's perspective, is one who loves the homeland as demanded by the party. Any deviation from this model—due to family influence or personal beliefs—can be deemed a threat to the system.

Coercion Through Children: Real-Life Examples

This policy is not new. In recent years, CiberCuba has documented several cases where parents have been intimidated or criminally prosecuted for their political stances, with explicit threats of losing custody of their children:

In 2020, Dr. Nelva Ismarays Ortega, wife of the opposition leader of the Unión Patriótica de Cuba (UNPACU), José Daniel Ferrer, was warned she would lose custody if her husband continued his denunciations. In 2021, Dr. Noemia Lisandra Rodríguez was pressured by State Security to abandon her activism, under threat of losing her children. In 2023, activist Diasniurka Salcedo Verdecia faced a custody lawsuit after participating in civic actions.

These cases exemplify the use of family laws as mechanisms of punishment and intimidation. It's not just about politically sanctioning the adult but instilling fear through what is most sacred: the relationship with their children.

Institutionalized Child Indoctrination

The emphasis on instilling patriotic values from childhood has been a constant in Cuba's so-called "revolutionary education," but it has intensified in recent years. From a young age, children participate in political acts, parades, and ceremonies with a strong ideological charge. They are taught to revere figures like Fidel Castro and are required to pledge loyalty to socialism.

The Granma article goes beyond the educational and legal realms, establishing a moral obligation with legal consequences. If parents do not promote these values—and if the state determines their attitude is "corrupting" or "contrary to development"—they can be stripped of their parental rights.

The Illusion of Legality: Between Repression and Simulated Justice

As noted by the CiberCuba article on the new Child Code, Cuban legislation offers an appearance of protection and rights, but in practice, it operates as a tool of surveillance, control, and punishment. The ambiguity of legal terms and the politicization of family values allow the state to intrude into the private lives of Cuban families with complete impunity.

The most concerning aspect is that such regulations do not protect children but rather turn them into instruments of coercion. A culture of fear is reinforced, where parents self-censor to avoid reprisals, and the family bond is conditioned by loyalty to the system.

Conclusion: Family Duties and Political Blackmail

The Granma publication represents much more than a legal note: it is a public warning with very real consequences. Under the guise of protecting childhood, the Cuban regime continues to consolidate a legal apparatus that, far from guaranteeing rights, criminalizes dissent and turns the family into an ideological battleground.

The threat of losing custody of children for thinking differently not only violates fundamental rights but also reveals the system's true intention: perpetuating control through fear.