Rural women's rights in Cuba highlighted at United Nations

HAVANA, Cuba, Mar 19 (ACN) The conditions of rural women in Cuba are far from the reality that prevails in the world today and are a central theme of the debates of the Commission on the Status of Women.

Yaneidis Pérez, a member of Cuba's National Assembly, told Prensa Latina that she is part of the island's delegation attending the forum at the United Nations in New York.
In different panels I have listened very often to the same requests: access to water, equal pay for women and men, possibilities for decent employment.... For Cuban women, these demands are already won, she said.
In her opinion, representing Cuban women in the UN is a great responsibility and also a satisfaction "because it allows me to present the achievements made in all areas of social, economic, political and social life".
More than 20,000 rural women in Cuba own their land and have the same opportunities and possibilities as men, said the deputy from the eastern province of Las Tunas.
Pérez also highlighted the political will of the government and the work of organizations such as the Federation of Cuban Women (FMC).
Every day we are building a culture of gender equality, although we still have much more to do within the home and within families, she said.
According to Cuba's permanent representative to the UN, Anayansi Rodríguez, rural women in the Caribbean nation have greater opportunities for access to land and training. Policies are in place at the national level to prevent gender discrimination.
In addition, she added, they benefit from the articulation of partnerships between different ministries of public administration, civil society organizations and the FMC.
After the recently concluded elections in Cuba, the presence of women in the National Assembly of the People's Power rose to 53.22 percent, making it the second parliament in the world with the highest participation of women.