NO EVIDENCE OF FORCED OR CHILD LABOR IN CYPRUS

UNCLAS NICOSIA 000424 SIPDIS FOR DOL/ILAB FOR RACHEL RIGBY, FOR DRL/ILCSR FOR MARK MITTELHAUSER, AND G/TIP FOR STEVE STEINER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ELAB EIND ETRD PHUM SOCI CY SUBJECT: NO EVIDENCE OF FORCED OR CHILD LABOR IN CYPRUS REF: SECSTATE 41381 ¶1. In response to a Department of Labor request associated with the 2005 Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (Reftel),Post canvassed government, labor union, human rights NGO, and immigrant/refugee advocacy contacts for evidence of forced and/or exploitative child labor in the production of goods in Cyprus. None reported significant incidences of this type of exploitation. Contacts attribute the finding to three factors: 1) Cyprus's economy is primarily services-based; goods production, whether of manufactured products or agricultural commodities, comprises a relatively small portion of GDP and a smaller-still share of the labor force; 2) Cyprus is one of the most heavily-unionized countries in the world, and its powerful labor movement focuses heavily on improving workplace conditions; and 3) generally speaking, in today's Cyprus, children are highly esteemed, even those hailing from immigrant families and other marginalized groups. ¶2. NGO interlocutors noted the existence of isolated cases of child trafficking and hard (but not forced) labor in agriculture, however. Under current Cypriot migration laws, asylum seekers often are limited to seeking employment in this sector. SCHLICHER