Torture in [Cyprus] [other countries]Human Trafficking in [Cyprus Street Children in [Cyprus] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Cyprus] [other countries] |
Human Trafficking & Modern-day Slavery In the early years
of the 21st Century gvnet.com/humantrafficking/Cyprus.htm
Cyprus is a destination country for a large
number of women from Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, Russia, Latin
America, and the Philippines trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual
exploitation. Recent trends indicate an increasing number of women trafficked
to Cyprus from Latin America, Morocco, and Syria. In 2008, most identified victims of sex
trafficking were fraudulently recruited to Cyprus on three-month “artiste”
work permits to work in the cabaret industry, on “barmaid work permits” to
work in pubs, or on tourist visas to work in massage parlors disguised as
private apartments. - |
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CAUTION: The following
links have been culled from the web to illuminate the situation in ***
FEATURED ARTICLE *** Damning report on Jacqueline www.medinstgenderstudies.org/wp-content/uploads/cyprus-mail-2_12_2007.pdf [accessed 31 January 2011] 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 *** Human Rights
Reports » 2005 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2005/61643.htm [accessed 31 January 2011] 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) UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, 6
June 2003 www1.umn.edu/humanrts/crc/cyprus2003.html [accessed 31 January 2011] [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 Sex trade thrives in Agence France-Presse AFP, www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/trafficking-cyprus.6k7 [accessed 31 January 2011] But experts in the
field say Cyprus's abolition of artiste visas -- around 3,000 were issued in
2007 -- has made barely any difference at all, instead moving the problem elsewhere,
mostly to bars and massage parlours.
"The truth is that two years ago they sold girls with artiste
visas, and today they sell them with work visas," said Androulla
Henriques, vice president of ACESS-Suisse, an organisation combating sexual
exploitation. They changed the
name of the visa, the name of the contract, but the situation hasn't changed:
the women are still here, and the risk of trafficking also. Scrapping artiste visas is not enough Alexia www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-185270539.html [partially accessed 31 January 2011 -
access restricted] Abolishing artiste
visas would do little to combat the problem of human trafficking for sexual
exploitation, the Mediterranean Institute of Gender Studies (MIGS) said
yesterday. Although MIGS welcomed the
government decision to do away with special visas for cabaret women, it
pointed out the decision failed to provide concrete solutions to the problem.
MIGS said the reform merely introduced
a more uniform visa policy that effectively involved a change in terminology
and the transfer of responsibly from the Interior Ministry to the Labour
Ministry. But MIGS responded:
“If the government’s objective is to combat human trafficking effectively,
particularly trafficking in women for sexual exploitation, the state must
stop issuing visas to individuals – citizens of third countries – under any
regime to work in high-risk areas.” The phenomenon of
trafficking for sexual exploitation had taken on enormous proportions and the
fact that the government’s decision to abolish artiste visas did not combat
human trafficking was particularly worrying, MIGS said. The wrong approach on human trafficking www.cyprusedirectory.com/cyprusguide/cyprus.aspx?ID=1886 [accessed 31 January 2011] A more sensible
approach would be for the authorities to safeguard the rights of the women
employed by the cabarets. They do not enjoy the rights of other workers –
they are made to sign contracts that deprive them of basic rights, their
passports are held by their employers and their every movement is monitored
by the cabaret’s henchmen. It is this despicable treatment of foreign women
that needs to be stopped. Close down the brothels in the north ! Source: www.cyprusedirectory.com/articleview.aspx?ID=594 [accessed 31 January 2011] “We have no laws to
prevent human trafficking and no legal deterrents,” Erk said. She added that
people generally viewed what happened in night clubs simply as prostitution,
and were mostly unaware that the 300-plus women working in them were victims
of human traffickers who made vast amounts of money by forcing the women into
modern-day slavery. Erk was at pains
to explain the differences between human smuggling and trafficking, the
latter being where people are brought into a country to face exploitation of
their sexuality or physical labour. The phenomenon was widespread in the
north Cyprus sex trade, she said, because women brought to the island were
kept in prison-like conditions, had their passports confiscated, and were burdened
with debt on their arrival – something which rendered the women indentured
labourers who worked “inhumanly long hours”. All these factors constituted
violations of the UN’s human rights charter on human trafficking, she said. Campaign seeks to highlight sex abuse of
women Alexia www.cyprus-mail.com/cyprus/campaign-seeks-highlight-sex-abuse-women [accessed 6 November 2010] 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 Jacqueline www.medinstgenderstudies.org/wp-content/uploads/cyprus-mail-2_12_2007.pdf [accessed 31 January 2011] 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 Council of Click [here]
to connect to the article. Its URL is
not displayed because of its length [accessed 31 January 2011] In an important
move forward in the fight against human trafficking, on 24 October 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 Jacqueline At one time this article had been archived
and may possibly still be accessible [here]
[accessed 4 September 2011] A Foreign Ministry
spokesman said the bill should be passed into law as soon as possible in
order to rectify the image Rights information leaflet for women Alexia At one time this article had been archived
and may possibly still be accessible [here]
[accessed 4 September 2011] 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 Alexia At one time this article had been archived
and may possibly still be accessible [here]
[accessed 4 September 2011] 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 Leo At one time this article had been archived
and may possibly still be accessible [here]
[accessed 4 September 2011] 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 At one time this article had been archived
and may possibly still be accessible [here]
[accessed 4 September 2011] 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. A Modern Form Of Slavery Leo At one time this article had been archived
and may possibly still be accessible [here]
[accessed 4 September 2011] In June last year,
for the first time, the The Protection Project - The www.protectionproject.org/human_rights_reports/report_documents/cyprus.doc [Last accessed 2009] FORMS OF TRAFFICKING
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According to government estimates, more than 1,000 foreign artistes arrive
every 6 months to work in cabarets in 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 2009 Edition www.freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2009/cyprus [accessed 26 June 2012] U.S.
Library of Congress - Country Study Library of Congress Call Number DS54.A3
C955 1993 lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/cytoc.html [accessed 31 January 2011] Treated like pieces of meat At one time this article had been archived
and may possibly still be accessible [here]
[accessed 4 September 2011] “I truly believe that for it’s size there
isn’t another country in 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
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Prof. Martin, "Human Trafficking & Modern-day Slavery - |
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Torture in [Cyprus] [other countries]Human Trafficking in [Cyprus Street Children in [Cyprus] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Cyprus] [other countries]