Human Trafficking in [Cyprus Street Children in [Cyprus] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Cyprus] [other countries] |
Human Trafficking & Modern-day Slavery Republic of Cyprus [ Country-by-Country
Reports ] The Cyprus is a destination country for a
large number of women trafficked from the Philippines, Russia, Moldova,
Hungary, Ukraine, Greece, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, and the Dominican Republic for
the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation. Women are also trafficked from
Colombia, Romania, Belarus, Bulgaria, and the United Kingdom. Most victims of
trafficking are fraudulently recruited to Cyprus on three-month “artiste”
work permits to work in the cabaret industry or on tourist visas to work in
massage parlors disguised as private apartments. More limited numbers of
foreign women work in pubs under the “barmaid” employment category. Police
report that trafficking in Cyprus has become more hidden, with women
increasingly exploited in massage parlors and private apartments. - U.S. State Dept
Trafficking in Persons Report, June, 2008 [full country
report] |
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CAUTION: The following links have been
culled from the web to illuminate the situation in ***
FEATURED ARTICLE *** Damning
report on Cyprus flesh trade Cyprus authorities have again come
under the international spotlight for their inability to effectively combat
human trafficking and the sexual exploitation of women. Under the headline “The worst record in
Europe for human trafficking”, the Financial Times newspaper reported on the
problem in Cyprus this week, with statements by a priest from the Russian
Church, father Savvas Michaelides. The
cleric claimed that the state was well aware of the sexual exploitation
suffered by many women but issued ‘artiste’ entry permits without giving it
second thought. Yelena told the paper that women
in the cabaret she worked at were being held hostage and under constant
observation by the owner and his men.
She said she had come to Cyprus believing she was going to work in a
cafeteria. But upon her arrival, she was taken straight to the cabaret and
forced to have sex with customers at a price.
Painting an even grimmer picture, Yelena added that women who resisted
their owners’ orders were subjected to threats and even beatings. Finally, she claimed that the police seemed
to be afraid of cabaret owners, which was why the problem was being fixed. ***
ARCHIVES *** Bur of Democracy,
Human Rights & Labor - Country
Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2005 TRAFFICKING
IN PERSONS – The
country was both a destination and transit point for persons being trafficked
for sexual exploitation, and authorities were aware of and generally
tolerated the situation. The country was a destination for women trafficked
from Eastern Europe, primarily Concluding
Observations Of The Committee On The Rights Of The Child (CRC) - 2003 [55] The Committee welcomes the enactment
in 2000 of the Law on the Combating of Trafficking of Persons and Sexual
Exploitation of Minors and the Protection of Witnesses Law of 2001
making specific provision for the protection of child witnesses. While noting
that the State party does not consider that problems relating to trafficking
or other forms of sexual exploitation exist, the Committee remains concerned
that such problems may remain “hidden” and that the authorities may be
unaware of them. In particular, the
Committee refers to the concerns expressed by the Special Rapporteur on the
sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography that Campaign
seeks to highlight sex abuse of women Myth: These women are prostitutes. Reality: The victims are forced
into prostitution, abused, raped and psychological blackmailed and often
their human traffickers handle them in such a way that it appears they
willingly prostitute. Myth: These women know the working
conditions before they come to Cyprus. Reality: The women often come to
Cyprus under false pretences of good employment for a good salary that will
give them a way out and a chance for a better life. Most of the time these
promises do not reveal the extent of the exploitation such as their limited
freedom, the confiscation of their travel documents, and the number of men they
have to offer services to. Myth: These women choose easy
money. Reality: Many victims do not want
to make easy money but have limited access to financial resources for
themselves and their dependents and so look for a job to survive. They often
come from very poor families and are educated but cannot find employment in
their own countries. In many cases the traffickers tell them they are
indebted to them and for many months they have to offer services without
payment to pay off their ‘debts’ to exploiters. Myth: These women have free
movement and can leave. Reality: In most cases the women
have no or limited freedom of movement and are watched by their traffickers.
They are normally accompanied by their employers, live in their workplace and
not allowed to live alone. Where the women appear to have ‘freedom of
movement’ they have reach the point where they are under traffickers’
control. It is very hard for them to leave as they and their families are
threatened and blackmailed, they are afraid of deportation, of the debts they
owe their traffickers and the limited support they get from authorities in
Cyprus. Myth: These women can easily
report their abuse to authorities. Reality: The victims are afraid of
their traffickers and so with difficulty go to police because they believe
their exploiters are well connected. The way they are handled by authorities
also does little to encourage them to report the abuse and they believe they
can’t escape and don’t know where to turn. Damning
report on Cyprus flesh trade Cyprus authorities have again come
under the international spotlight for their inability to effectively combat
human trafficking and the sexual exploitation of women. Under the headline “The worst record in
Europe for human trafficking”, the Financial Times newspaper reported on the
problem in Cyprus this week, with statements by a priest from the Russian
Church, father Savvas Michaelides. The
cleric claimed that the state was well aware of the sexual exploitation
suffered by many women but issued ‘artiste’ entry permits without giving it
second thought. Yelena told the paper that women
in the cabaret she worked at were being held hostage and under constant
observation by the owner and his men.
She said she had come to Cyprus believing she was going to work in a
cafeteria. But upon her arrival, she was taken straight to the cabaret and
forced to have sex with customers at a price.
Painting an even grimmer picture, Yelena added that women who resisted
their owners’ orders were subjected to threats and even beatings. Finally, she claimed that the police seemed
to be afraid of cabaret owners, which was why the problem was being fixed. Council of
Europe trafficking convention enters into force In an important move forward in
the fight against human trafficking, on 24 October Cyprus became the tenth
country to ratify the Council of Europe's Convention on Action Against
Trafficking in Human Beings. It is the only international law
that provides all trafficked people with guaranteed minimum standards of
protection, including at least 30 days to stay in the country to receive: o
Emergency
medical assistance o
Safe
housing o
Legal
advice House
priority to overhaul human trafficking laws A Foreign Ministry spokesman said
the bill should be passed into law as soon as possible in order to rectify
the image Cyprus has built up regarding human trafficking. “The opinion that has been created abroad
is that we do not care about the issue of human trafficking,” he said. He pointed out that Cyprus did not yet have
a shelter for trafficking victims, something the island is being repeatedly
pressured over by the EU. Rights
information leaflet for women Cabaret artistes and barmaids are
often ignorant of their rights, allowing them to be sexually, psychologically
and physically abused by their employers, will now more readily have access
to such information. The leaflet clearly states that
women who are exploited, sexually or otherwise, or forced into prostitution,
are entitled to protection and support as well as arrangements for financial
and psychological support. They also have the right to file charges against
their employer and/or anyone else who exploits them and to ask for
compensation due to violation of their rights. Cyprus
is a flesh trade destination Cyprus is a country of destination
not transit, for victims of sexual exploitation, a senior police officer said
yesterday. Inspector Rita Superman
said the majority of victims were from the former Soviet Union and the
Philippines. She said: "In 2004, 66
victims were identified, with the majority from the Ukraine and Moldova. In
2005, 42 victims were identified again the majority of whom were from the
Ukraine and Moldova. In 2006, following the largest police campaign to deal
with the phenomenon, 81 victims of sexual exploitation were found, again from
the same countries." Of the
victims identified in 2006, three had come to Cyprus as tourists, three as
housemaids, three as students, five were asylum seekers, 19 worked in bars,
and the remaining 47 worked in cabarets, she said. Police
training on human trafficking Justice Minister Sophoclis
Sophocleous yesterday spoke of his determination to eliminate the trafficking
of women. He said that in Cyprus there
were currently 1,200 artistes, 20 agents and 120 cabarets. “You can draw your
own conclusions,” he said. US
Steps In To Rescue Girl From Prostitution In The North The girl was reportedly being
sexually exploited by a cabaret owner in the north. Her parents were alerted
to her plight when she began calling them from mobile phones. According to reports, the girl had been
forced to engage in sexual activities with customers. In June last year, for the first
time, the The
Protection Project - Cyprus [DOC] FORMS OF TRAFFICKING - According to government
estimates, more than 1,000 foreign artistes arrive every 6 months to work in
cabarets in Cyprus. During any given year, approximately 3,400 foreign
artistes are employed in Cyprus. Although not all foreign artistes are
victims of trafficking, a government report concluded that thousands of women
who had arrived legally to work as artistes in cabarets were, through various
forms of pressure and coercion by their employers, prostituted; were living
in desperate conditions; and had suffered human rights violations. The
majority of the cabaret artists in Cyprus are young women in their 20s, but
some are younger. Some have children, some arrive in Cyprus to earn money for
their families and help their children, and some work to pay for their
studies. All of these women arrive in
Cyprus in a similar way—by responding to newspaper or employment agency
advertisements inviting young women to work as cabaret dancers or as barmaids
in cabarets, nightclubs, and bars on the island. Many mistakenly trust
seemingly legitimate, sympathetic, and knowledgeable employment recruiters.
Others are deceived by their acquaintances, even childhood friends. They learn the true nature of
their occupations after arriving on the island. Many foreign cabaret dancers
live lives of abuse and violence. At a minimum, they are deceived about the
exact nature of their employment, sold by impresarios to cabaret owners, paid
only a small fraction of the client’s fee or given no payment at all for a
sexual transaction, and have little freedom of movement. They are often raped
and beaten until they submit to performing a sexual service. Their passports
are taken away, leaving them little avenue for escape or assistance. Although
not all are forced into prostitution, most women experience sexual abuse and
other forms of physical violence at the hands of the cabaret owners or their
employees and friends. Those women who are not forced into prostitution might
be obliged to serve drinks topless or engage in consumatsia. Consumatsia is a
practice intended to induce a client to buy alcoholic drinks—both for himself
and for the woman—so as to increase the profit to the establishment where she
is working. It involves having a young woman working in the cabaret or bar
provide a service to the client such as having an informal conversation with
a client, performing a striptease, or caressing him. Not all cabarets engage
in such blatant violations against their workers, but firsthand accounts of
abuse from women who have escaped from the cabarets are widespread. Often,
cabaret owners gradually move the artistes from legitimate tasks to more
exploitive conditions. Freedom
House Country Report - Political Rights: 1 Civil Liberties: 1 Status: Free Human Rights Overview by Human
Rights Watch – Defending Human Rights Worldwide U.S. Library of Congress
- Country Study “I truly believe that for it’s
size there isn’t another country in Europe with so many women working as
prostitutes,” he adds, shaking his head.
“It still distresses me greatly.”. One girl who came to the refuge
after just a few days on the job has particularly stuck in her mind. “I asked her what she needed when she
arrived here, expecting her to say perhaps a sandwich or a drink, but she
said all she wanted was to sleep. I was surprised until I learned what her
typical 24 hours entailed. “She had to
be at the cabaret for 6.30pm and until 3am she would have to dance and
entertain clients, most of who wanted more than a dance. Then she would be
expected to spend the night in a hotel with a client, until around 7 or
8am. “But I thought surely she must
have been able to sleep properly after that?
“‘No,’ she said. ‘I would grab a couple of hours sleep until 11am.
Then I had to be downstairs, in a room with some arcade games and a couple of
sofas. There were men there supposedly playing games but in fact they would look
us up and down and pick one of us and we’d have to go upstairs and have sex
with them. This went on until the afternoon. After that we had time to ‘rest’
and get ready for the next night’s work.’ All material used herein
reproduced under the fair use exception of 17 USC § 107 for noncommercial,
nonprofit, and educational use |
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Human Trafficking in [Cyprus Street Children in [Cyprus] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Cyprus] [other countries]