Promoting the empowerment of women, their role in society, equal rights, opportunities and possibilities is the main objective of the Program for the Advancement of Women in Cuba (PAM). Since its approval more than two years ago, it has been taken to all localities in the country to implement it.
In Contramaestre, a commission was created to follow up on the program’s Action Plan, which is made up of the deputy mayor, the Federation of Cuban Women (FMC), the Union of Young Communists (UJC), the Municipal Assembly of People’s Power (AMPP) and the different agencies of the municipality such as Education, Health, Culture, among others. This commission meets every month to evaluate the work done by each entity with respect to the advancement of women.
Yudelis Arévalo Mora, deputy superintendent who attends to social problems and chairs the PAM commission in Contramaestre, explained that the purpose of this program is to give attention to the problems that women have, help them and train them through the support of the different sectors of the locality in conjunction with the communities.
“The social workers play an important role since they are the ones who from the work they do in the neighborhoods detect and inform our commission about the situation of the women and from there they are followed up”.
The Deputy Superintendent also said that as part of the economic empowerment of women, the FMC and the Universidad de Oriente offer technical and undergraduate courses such as Economics and Agricultural Engineering.
Actions in favor of women
So far this year, the Ministry of Labor and Social Security (MTSS) has given job placement to more than 800 women. Fifty-six subsidies have been given to some of the most needy. The commission has also granted income to children’s circles, provided social assistance and food allowance, with priority given to mothers with three or more children.
“As part of education and prevention, we have been consolidating the promotion work of health professionals in conjunction with the leaders we have in the communities to increase the perception of the risk of diseases commonly suffered by women of all ages. In addition, teacher training is being carried out at the different levels of education on gender issues, sex education and non-discrimination, so that they are made known through family education schools and classes”.
Arevalo Mora highlighted the creation of children’s centers as another way of helping women. He informed about one of these centers that is being finished in the Laguna Blanca popular council where there will be not only children from the cooperatives, but also those from the surrounding community whose mothers need to work.
The PAM in Contramaestre continues to take steps forward by designing a system of actions to help women in the municipality and to make their presence known in each entity and their contributions to science and innovation.
The Women’s Advancement Program was approved by the Council of Ministers in October 2021 and was put into effect by Presidential Decree 198/2021 of March 8 of that year in the Official Gazette to achieve female empowerment and fight discrimination and violence.
By Daniela Reyna, journalism student
