Women trafficking in Cyprus for sexual exploitation

The 2008 report on human rights in Cyprus, part of the annual US State Department report says Cyprus continued to be used as a centre for trafficking of persons. The report further adds that there with widespread reports that persons were trafficked through and within the country.
Cyprus “was primarily a destination point for women trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation, and authorities were aware of and generally tolerated the situation despite the 2005 adoption of a national action plan to combat trafficking in persons and sexual exploitation of children”.
Police participated and assisted in 36 trafficking investigations in EU countries and 12 trafficking investigations in non-EU countries.
The 2008 report on human rights in Cyprus, part of the annual US State Department report, dismisses Turkish Cypriot claims that mosques in the southern government controlled part of the country are neglected, and points out that the Cyprus government routinely carried out maintenance and repair of mosques in the area under its administration.
The government of the Republic of Cyprus generally respected the human rights of its citizens, however “there were problems in some areas”, including police abuse and degrading treatment of persons in police custody and of asylum seekers, violence against women, discrimination against members of minority ethnic and national groups and trafficking of women to the island, particularly for sexual exploitation.
Turkish Cypriot authorities generally respected the human rights of citizens living under their control; however, there were problems in some areas. Police abuse of detainees and arbitrary arrest and detention continued to be problems. There were also restrictions on citizens' privacy rights and on the rights of asylum seekers. There was no regulatory infrastructure to handle asylum applications or to protect the rights of asylum seekers. Trafficking in persons was a problem.
It notes that there were reports that police abused detainees and that prison conditions did not meet international standards.
It also said that the “police” and security forces are ultimately under the operational command of the Turkish military per transitional article 10 of the ''TRNC constitution,'' which ''temporarily'' cedes responsibility for public security and defense to Turkey.
Referring to the southern government controlled part of the country, in the chapter of Respect for human rights, it maintains that there were reports that police abused detainees and were engaged in heavy-handed tactics and degrading treatment of suspects and that international organisations questioned conditions in detention centers.
Regarding the role of the Police, the report said that of the 35 investigations carried out, two resulted in criminal charges against officers; three resulted in disciplinary charges; and 28 failed to reveal any wrongdoing on the part of the police.
On the chapter of arrest and detention, the report notes that prior to May, aliens arrested for illegal entry without identification were detained indefinitely when authorities did not know where to deport them.
On Property Restitution, the report cites the European Court of Human Rights decision to endorse a friendly settlement brokered by the Turkish Cypriot ''property commission'' in May 2007 between Greek Cypriot Michael Tymvios and Turkey.
On freedom of speech and press, the report merely cites that the government imposed significant restrictions on Turkish (as opposed to Turkish Cypriot) journalists crossing the green line to cover news events in the government-controlled area, without explaining the reasons behind the government action.
It further criticises the government for continuing to “exert political pressure” on universities to refrain from any contact with universities in the Turkish Cypriot community because the government considered universities in the Turkish Cypriot community ''illegal.''
On Protection of Refugees, in practice the government provided protection against the expulsion or return of refugees to countries where their lives or freedom would be threatened.
On Government Corruption and Transparency, the report makes reference to the escape of double murderer and rapist Antonis Procopiou Kitas on December 12 which prompted a series of investigations into possible corruption of police and other government officials.
The Minister of Justice and Public Order resigned over the escape, while the government appointed five independent criminal investigators to investigate the escape and the possible involvement of police and government officials. The Attorney General said the case ''smacked of corruption, negligence, and indifference”.
On Discrimination, Societal Abuses, and Trafficking in Persons, the report notes that “violence against women, child abuse, trafficking in persons, discrimination against Turkish Cypriots living in the government-controlled area, and discrimination against Roma and members of minority ethnic and national groups were problems”.
Regarding Incitement to Acts of Discrimination, the State Department report said the government continued to use textbooks at the primary and secondary school levels that included language biased against Turkish Cypriots and Turks or that refrained from mentioning the Turkish-Cypriot community altogether. This was a particularly serious concern with history textbooks, it added.
Regarding the enclaved (Greek Cypriots living in occupied Cyprus), the report adds that the 1975 Vienna III Agreement remains the legal source of authority regarding the treatment of Greek Cypriots and Maronites; “however, the authorities' noncompliance with some of the Agreement's provisions made daily life difficult for the 358 Greek Cypriot and 121 Maronite residents”.
Under the Vienna III Agreement, UNFICYP visited the enclaved Greek Cypriots weekly and the Maronites twice a month; any additional visits had to be preapproved by the “authorities”. Although the Vienna III Agreement provides for medical care by a doctor from the Greek Cypriot community, the “authorities” only permitted care provided by registered Turkish Cypriot doctors; enclaved persons also traveled to the government-controlled area for medical care.
Greek Cypriots and Maronites were able to take possession of some of their properties but were unable to leave any of their properties to heirs residing in the government-controlled area. The “authorities”, it adds, allowed the enclaved residents to make improvements to their homes and to apply for permission to build new structures on their properties. Maronites living in the government-controlled area could use their properties only if those properties were not under the control of the Turkish military or allocated to Turkish Cypriots.
The report also refers to Greek Cypriots living in the government-controlled area who “continued to assert that vandals damaged vacant Greek Orthodox churches and removed religious icons in the area administered by Turkish Cypriots in previous years”, claiming that “there were no reported investigations of these incidents”.
The “authorities” no longer maintained general restrictions on visitors to the 358 Greek Cypriots and 121 Maronites living in enclaves in the area administered by Turkish Cypriots, although there were reports that specific refugees from the enclaved villages were barred from returning to them, the report notes.
The report further remarks that violence against women, including spousal abuse, was a problem in the occupied areas.
On the issue of Trafficking in Persons, the report observes that the green line “reportedly serves as a porous crossing point for traffickers to move victims into the south”. The so called authorities issued worker ''visas'' to women, primarily from Eastern Europe, permitting their entry into the area administered by Turkish Cypriots to work in nightclubs and cabarets. The “authorities” acknowledged the existence of trafficking; however, they often confused it with human smuggling or illegal immigration. According to researchers, women working in nightclubs and cabarets often were sold by agencies that had advertised for models, babysitters, or elder caregivers. They also said that large casinos had offered women as ''gifts to their richest customers.''
By year's end, it says, “authorities had tried and concluded 34 prostitution-related cases”. All the cases resulted in fines but no prison sentences.
There were also 32 child workers detected in inspections in May and that legal action was taken against the employers.
The minimum wage in the occupied areas was 1,060 lira (approximately $665), which did not provide a decent standard of living for a worker and family. In August the minimum wage was raised to 1,190 lira ($750). Workers did not have the legal right to remove themselves from situations that endangered health or safety without risking their continued employment.