REPUBLIC OF CYPRUS -- NINTH ANNUAL TRAFFICKING IN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 08 NICOSIA 000123

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR G/TIP, INL, DRL, PRM, EUR/SE AND EUR/PGI;
STATE PLEASE PASS TO USAID

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KTIP KCRM KWMN ELAB PGOV PHUM PREF CY
SUBJECT: REPUBLIC OF CYPRUS -- NINTH ANNUAL TRAFFICKING IN
PERSONS (TIP) REPORT SUBMISSION

REF: SECSTATE 132759

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1. (U) Paras 3-6 are sensitive but unclassified -- not for
internet distribution.


2. (U) Embassy Nicosia hereby submits information for the
April 2008 - February 2009 Trafficking in Persons (TIP)
Report. Embassy point of contact is John Rhatigan, Political
Section, Tel: (357) 22-39-3364, Fax: (357) 22-39- 3467.
Approximately 40 hours (FSO-04) and 80 hours (FSN-10) were
spent in preparing this material.


3. (SBU) Answers in this para are keyed to the questions in
ref tel, para 23, "The Country's TIP Situation."


A. Sources of information include government agencies, local
and international NGOs, and the media. The Embassy has a
long-standing relationship with these sources and considers
them reliable.


B. Cyprus is largely a destination country for trafficked
women working in the commercial sex industry. In the period
under review, there was only one reported case of men being
trafficked for labor exploitation. Internal trafficking does
not occur but there have been reported instances of victims
being trafficked through the area administered by the Turkish
Cypriots to the government-controlled area. Since the last
TIP report there has been a notable increase in the
percentage of victims coming from Latin America.


C. Most victims arrived in Cyprus on "artiste" visa entry
permits to work in the cabaret industry, with a lesser amount
arriving on barmaid visas to work in pubs or on tourist visas
to work in massage parlors disguised as private apartments.
During the period April 1, 2008 to January 31, 2009, the
government issued 1,906 "artiste" visa entry permits;
however, the actual number of women working in cabarets was
much lower, as women traveling and then returning to Cyprus
were required to obtain a new "artiste" visa for each entry.
There are no available estimates on the number of women
working in massage parlors. For the period under review, 526
work permits were issued to women for work as barmaids. On
November 1, 2008, the Council of Ministers took a decision to
abolish the "artiste" category work permit. This decision
came into effect as of February 1, 2009. Individuals from
countries which require a visa to enter Cyprus who wish to
work in Cyprus as "artistes" now need to apply for work
permits as either creative artists (writers, composers, etc.)
or performing artists (dancers, singers, actors, etc.) and
provide evidence of their qualifications, experience and
international renown.


D. Foreign women are especially vulnerable to being
trafficked to Cyprus for the purpose of sexual exploitation.
In the reporting period, women from Latin America and Eastern
Europe were particularly vulnerable. Of the 41 identified
trafficking victims, 12 came from the Dominican Republic, 10
from Romania, nine from Moldova, three from the Phillipines,
two each from Uzbekistan, Syria and Russia, and one from
Ukraine.


E. Traffickers fraudulently recruited victims in their home
countries using the "artiste" work permit for work in
cabarets. There were also cases of women arriving on tourist
and student visas and then working out of private apartments
offering sex services. Traffickers in source countries often
cooperated with artiste agents/"impresarios" in Cyprus. Many

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women came to work as performers in cabarets but were
pressured by the "impresarios" and the cabaret owners to
provide sexual services to cabaret customers. Artiste
agents/"impresarios" operate employment agencies specializing
in employment of cabaret workers. Traffickers use debt
bondage, i.e., they pressure the victims into prostitution to
pay off their debts incurred from air tickets, "impresario"
fees and medical tests. Traffickers often confiscate
victims' passports.


4. (SBU) Answers in this para are keyed to the questions in
reftel, para 24, "Setting the Scene for The Government's
anti-TIP Efforts."


A. The government does acknowledge that trafficking is a
problem in Cyprus and continued to demonstrate at the highest
levels the political will to address trafficking.


B. The Ministries of Interior, Labor and Social Insurance,
Justice and Public Order, Health, Education, and the Attorney
General's Office share responsibility for combating
trafficking, with the Ministry of Interior as the lead
entity.


C. The government does not lack the resources to combat
trafficking and aid victims. In the period under review,
resources for the Police were increased; in November, a
fourth member was added to the anti-TIP unit, and in April,
the Chief of Police appointed 20 officers to partner with the
anti-TIP unit. These 20 officers are not exclusively
dedicated to TIP and are replaced often, however, which does
not always allow them to gain sufficient experience in
TIP-related police work. TIP-associated corruption is not
considered a problem. Although prosecutions of government
employees have occurred in the past, during the current
reporting period no police officer nor any other government
employee was prosecuted for involvement in
trafficking-related corruption cases.


D. Per the new anti-TIP law, government anti-trafficking
efforts are coordinated by the Minister of Interior, who
serves as the national coordinator for action against
trafficking and chairs the Multi-disciplinary Coordinating
Group (MCG),a body comprised of all government agencies
involved in anti-trafficking efforts and two NGOs. The MCG
meets quarterly and is mandated by law to prepare an annual
report evaluating government efforts (including the
implementation of the anti-TIP law) to combat trafficking.
According to the law, the report must be submitted to the
Council of Ministers. This report should also be submitted
to the House of Representatives for information purposes,
after it is approved by the Council of Ministers. The first
report is expected to be prepared this summer after the MCG
completes its first full year of operation. The government
reports its anti-trafficking efforts to the UN, EU, OSCE,
and, when requested, to international NGOs and to the local
and international media. The MCG has set up four working
groups, each tasked with meeting separately to deal with
specific responsibilities, i.e., public awareness; protection
of victims; suppression of trafficking; and revision of the
policy for the entry of third-country nationals under the
"artiste" work permit.


5. (SBU) Answers in this para are keyed to the questions in
reftel, para 25, "Investigation and Prosecution of
Traffickers."


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A. No new trafficking legislation has been enacted since the
last TIP report; however, the existing law already
specifically prohibits trafficking in persons for both sexual
exploitation and labor, under Law 87(I)/2007, entitled
"Combating Trafficking and Exploitation of Human Beings and
Protecting Victims Rights," which was enacted on July 13,

2007. This law replaced the existing (3(I)2000) law on
"Combating Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation of Adults and
Minors." The stated purpose of the new law is "to
criminalize trafficking in persons, the exploitation of
persons and child pornography, to take measures for the
protection and support of victims from the aforementioned
crimes, and to create the mechanism to monitor the
implementation of these measures." It covers both internal
and external forms of trafficking. Other laws used to
prosecute TIP cases include:

1. The Protection of Witnesses Law of 2001, Law 95(I)/2001;

2. The Law Ratifying the UN Convention Against Transnational
OrganQd Crime and its SupplemenQy Protocols, LawQIII)/2003;

3. The Prevention and Suppression of Money Laundering
Activities Law, Law 61(I)/1996;

4. The Aliens and Immigration Law, Cap. 105 (as amended) and
Regulations;

5. The Criminal Code, Cap. 154;

6. The Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection of
Victims) Law, Law 119(I)/2000 (as amended); and

7. The Compensation to Victims of Violent Crimes Law, Law
51(I)/97.


B. Trafficking of adults is punishable by up to 15 years in
prison and trafficking of children is punishable by up to 20
years in prison. Sexual exploitation of adults is punishable
by up to 10 years in prison and of minors by up to 20 years.
In the period under review, there was one conviction
resulting in a two-year prison sentence.


C. As stated in the previous paragraph, trafficking of adults
is punishable by up to 15 years imprisonment and trafficking
of children is punishable by up to 20 years. Withholding a
victim's passport or travel documents, including his alien
card and/or residency permit, is a crime punishable by up to
five years imprisonment and/or a fine of up to 10,000 Euros
(USD 12,967). Switching contracts without the worker's
consent is illegal. During the period under review, the
police investigated four cases of labor trafficking, three of
which involved a combination of both labor trafficking and
trafficking for sexual exploitation. Of those four cases,
three are pending trial and one is still under investigation.
During the period under review, there were no convictions
for labor trafficking.


D. The law criminalizes rape, with a maximum sentence of life
in prison. Most convicted rapists received considerably less
than the maximum sentence; however, sentences for rape are
generally higher than sentences for commercial sexual
exploitation.


E. In the period April 1, 2008 to January 25, 2009 the
government opened 29 cases of trafficking for investigation,
none of which involved minors. Seven of those cases are
still under investigation and 21 were sent to court. Of
those 21 cases, 19 are still pending trial, two were
completed and the defendants were acquitted, and one was
otherwise disposed of. Of the 29 cases opened for
investigation during the reporting period, 25 involved
trafficking for sexual exploitation, three involved

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trafficking for both labor and sexual exploitation, and one
case involved only labor exploitation. Of the 31 cases of
trafficking for sexual exploitation pending at the end of the
previous reporting period, 11 are still pending trial, 10
resulted in acquittals, five were dismissed by the courts,
one prosecution was suspended and three are still under
investigation. Only one case resulted in a conviction, which
resulted in a two-year prison sentence; though the case was
prepared for trial under the anti-TIP law, the offender was
ultimately convicted of living off the proceeds of
prostitution, sexual exploitation and indecent assault. The
sentence is currently being served.


F. Police officers receive specialized training on how to
recognize, investigate, and prosecute cases of trafficking at
the Cyprus Police Academy. In addition to this specialized
training, police officers took a two-day course in October on
identifying TIP victims, implementing the 2007
anti-trafficking law, and distinquishing between cases of
trafficking and illegal migration. The head of the police
anti-trafficking unit gives lectures on a regular basis at
the Police Academy which are attended by a large number of
police officers. Members of the Police anti-trafficking unit
and other police officers attended training courses offered
by outside organizations and foreign governments. Officers
of the anti-trafficking unit participated in two European
Police College (CEPOL) courses in May in Lithuania and the
Czech Republic, and a CEPOL course in Sweden in January 2009.
In September 2008, 43 police officers attended a two-day
seminar organized by the US Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE) in Nicosia.


G. The GOC cooperates with other governments in the
investigation of and prosecution of trafficking cases, and
during the period under review, the police cooperated with
Romanian authorities in one case of trafficking. Two
Cypriots were arrested and two European arrest warrants have
been issued against Romanian citizens. The case is pending
for trial before the Criminal Court.


H. The ROC Constitution was recently amended to allow the
extradition of Cypriot citizens; however, there were no such
cases during the reporting period.


I. There is no evidence of government involvement in, or
tolerance of, trafficking on a local or institutional level.


J. No government officials were investigated for involvement
in trafficking or trafficking-related corruption during the
reporting period.


K. Prostitution is not illegal but many acts related to
prostitution, e.g., living off the proceeds of prostitution,
promoting a woman for prostitution, maintaining, managing or
participating in the operation of a brothel, forced detention
of a woman in a brothel, and assistance to a woman in
performing prostitution are criminalized. These laws are
enforced. The legal minimum age for prostitution is 18 years
of age.


L. N/A


M. N/A


6. (SBU) Answers in this para are keyed to the questions in
ref tel para 26, "Protection and Assistance to the Victims."


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A. Existing legislation allows identified victims a minimum
of one month as a reflection period to recover from their
experience and to decide whether or not they wish to
cooperate with the police and testify in a trial. Victims
are placed under the care of Social Welfare Services, which
acts as the guardian of victims of trafficking, and have the
right to work. These protections are provided in practice.
Witness protection is also provided, if requested; however,
no requests were made for witness protection during the
period under review.


B. The government operates a shelter for trafficking victims,
which is run by Social Welfare Services. The shelter housed
a total of 28 victims between April 1, 2008 and mid-January

2009. The law does not differentiate between foreign and
domestic victims of trafficking. Alternatively, victims
could also stay in private apartments, with friends, or at
the shelter run by NGO STIGMA, and are entitled to a rent
subsidy and a monthly allowance provided by Social Welfare
Services. From April 1, 2008 to January 15, 2009, Social
Welfare Services provided shelter and assistance to a total
of 59 victims, two of whom were men. Out of these 59, six
were victims of labor trafficking. There are no specialized
facilities for male victims of trafficking and the government
shelter only accommodates women, but male victims are
entitled to the same rights and protections as all victims,
and housing benefits are provided. During the reporting
period, the government spent 102,000 Euros (USD 132,000) on
financial assistance to victims and 192,000 Euros (USD
249,000) for the running of the government shelter. Salaries
of welfare officers are an additional cost.


C. The government provides victims with free medical, legal
and psychological care, assistance to find employment, and
access to programs provided by the government and/or NGOs to
acquire or improve professional skills and prepare for
repatriation. In the period under review, the government
provided 17,000 Euros (USD 21,873) to fund the shelter run by
NGO STIGMA. The government could not provide an estimate of
the overall amount spent on assistance to TIP victims.
Funding comes from the government budget.


D. Victims who decide to cooperate with the police have their
temporary residence permits renewed until the police
investigation and trial are completed.


E. Victims are entitled to stay in the government-run shelter
for up to four weeks, however, several victims have been
allowed to stay longer. All victims are also entitled to
long-term housing benefits for as long as such benefits are
required, as well as assistance in locating said long-term
housing. The government provides victims with assistance to
find employment, and access to programs provided by the
government and NGOs to acquire or improve professional skills
as well as to prepare for repatriation.


F. The police have a referral procedure in place to transfer
victims of trafficking to Social Welfare Services. If the
police encounter a trafficking victim, they immediately
contact the welfare officer on duty and arrange to place the
victim under the custody of Social Welfare Services.


G. Between April 1, 2008 and January 25, 2009, the police
identified 41 victims of trafficking and referred them all to
Social Welfare Services for assistance. Of these 41, 28
victims stayed at the government-run shelter. The remaining
victims stayed at the shelter run by NGO STIGMA or in private

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apartments, and received financial assistance from Social
Welfare Services.


H. The police conducted unannounced raids and undercover
operations in cabarets, pubs and private apartments suspected
of being used for prostitution. They also investigated
complaints submitted directly by trafficking victims, whether
to the police, other government agencies, or NGOs. A large
number of police officers have been trained on victim
identification techniques and on questioning and treatment of
potential victims.


I. The rights of victims are generally respected.
Trafficking victims are not detained, jailed or fined
regardless of whether they choose to cooperate with the
police.


J. The government encourages victims to assist in the
investigation and prosecution of their traffickers. In the
period April 1, 2008 to January 25, 2009, the government
identified 41 victims, 37 of whom agreed to assist in the
investigation and prosecution of their traffickers. Of those
37, 32 are still in Cyprus awaiting completion of the trial
and five have been repatriated. Some of the victims
complained about the length of the trial process, which
usually lasts over a year. The remaining four victims who
did not wish to assist the police asked to return to their
home countries. Victims may bring civil suits against their
traffickers and seek damages. They also have the right to
seek compensation from the GOC pursuant to the provisions of
the EU Convention for the Compensation of Victims of Violent
Crimes. Victims who are witnesses in court cases are allowed
to seek alternate employment and are allowed to leave the
country temporarily. No one impedes victim access to legal
redress.


K. Police and Social Welfare personnel receive specialized
training in identifying victims of trafficking and in the
provision of assistance to victims. Police officers received
the training noted in para 5F above. In addition, in May
2008, 26 Social Welfare Services officers attended two
one-day seminars to review procedures for victim
identification and provision of assistance. In December
2008, 17 Social Welfare Services officers attended a seminar
offered by the NGO Mediterranean Institute for Gender Studies
(MIGS) on how to interview victims of trafficking.
Additionally, during the period under review, Cypriot
consular or administrative staff in source country Cypriot
consulates briefed recipients of artiste visas and provided
them with a brochure containing employment information,
rights and obligations, and emergency services contact
information.


L. N/A


M. The NGO STIGMA offers services to victims of trafficking
and has received funding from the government. STIGMA
cooperates with NGO STOP International. STIGMA received USD
22,000 from the government during the reporting period.
STIGMA actively locates victims and offers shelter,
counseling, psychological and financial support, helps
victims to find alternate employment, and prepares them for
repatriation in cooperation with NGOs in their home
countries. The shelter run by STIGMA closed at the end of

2008. STIGMA's director contends that the shelter closed
because of lack of funding; however, STIGMA did not apply for
government funding in 2008. The NGO still helps victims find

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7. (U) Answers in this para are keyed to the request in ref
tel, para 27, "Prevention."


A. The government launched in December 2008 the second phase
of a public awareness/demand-reduction campaign which
includes pamphlets, posters, newspaper inserts, billboards
and TV spots. It is budgeted for 50,000 Euros (USD 64,800).
Pamphlets and posters have been distributed to government
offices, colleges, airports and supermarkets, and billboards
have been placed on main streets and highways. Newspaper
inserts were placed in the two largest circulation
newspapers, Phileleftheros and Politis, which have a combined
readership of over 50,000. The TV spots will be aired in
March 2009. This campaign is designed both to inform the
public and reduce demand. The Ministry of Interior, in
cooperation with the Attorney General's Office and the OSCE,
organized a conference on September 18-19 2008 on trafficking
and money laundering. The Ministry of Interior also provided
financial support to NGOs totaling 19,165 Euros (USD24,600)
to organize conferences and other programs on trafficking in
persons. An additional 75,000 Euros (97,200 USD) has been
allocated in the 2009 budget for an anti-trafficking public
awareness/demand-reduction campaign that will begin after the
ongoing campaign finishes.


B. Immigration police monitor immigration and emigration
patterns for evidence of trafficking.


C. Per the 2007 anti-TIP law, government anti-trafficking
efforts are coordinated and evaluated by the Ministry of
Interior, which chairs the Multi-disciplinary Coordinating
Group (MCG). The MCG is comprised of all government agencies
involved in anti-trafficking efforts, as well as two NGOs.
The MCG coordinates communication between all entities,
internal and international, on matters related to
trafficking.


D. The government adopted a national plan of action in May

2005. It was drafted by a group of experts at the Attorney
General's office with input from the Ministries of Interior,
Labor and Social Insurance, Justice and Public Order,
Commerce, Industry and Tourism, the Ombudsman and NGOs. The
action plan has been distributed to all government agencies,
NGOs, and international organizations, and is available in
electronic form, in both Greek and English, from the Ministry
of Interior. The national plan of action is implemented on
an ongoing basis, and the MCG is required by law to revise
the plan continually in order to meet current needs.


E. The government launched in December 2008 the second phase
of a public awareness/demand-reduction campaign, as noted in
para 7A above. Other than this campaign, no other measures
have been taken to reduce the demand for commercial sex acts.



F. Law 87(I)2007 criminalizes sexual exploitation of
children, to include paying children for sexual intercourse
or other sexual activities. It covers the commission of the
crime by Cypriots in foreign countries and is punishable by
up to 20 years imprisonment. There were no such cases during
the reporting period.


G. N/A


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8. Answers in this para are keyed to the request in reftel,
para 28, "Heroes."


A. Androula Christofidou is a representative of STOP
International in Geneva but spends several months every year
in Cyprus. She is tireless in her efforts to assist victims
of trafficking and to lobby government officials, including
Cabinet Ministers and the Chief of the Police, for more
action against trafficking and for victim protection. She
has created her own network of individuals in various fields,
such as the media, NGOs, the diplomatic corps, and social
circles, who assist her in her various activities, whether
putting pressure on the government to raise money for TIP
victims in need, or rescuing victims from the hands of their
traffickers. She has taken victims into her house, given
them money from her own pocket, and helped them find work.
She has convinced her friends to do the same. She organized
a conference in November which attracted participation from
several international organizations, high-level government
officials such as the Minister of Interior, the Attorney
General, and the head of the Cyprus Police anti-TIP unit, as
well as the U.S. Embassy. This conference garnered
significant press coverage in Cyprus and abroad.
Urbancic