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RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC PRIORITY
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RUEAHLC/HOMELAND SECURITY CENTER WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 08 NICOSIA 000313 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR G/TIP, G, INL, PRM, IWI AND EUR/PGI, STATE 
PLEASE PASS TO USAID 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ASEC CY ELAB KCRM KFRD KWMN PHUM PREF SMIG
SUBJECT: REPUBLIC OF CYPRUS: SIXTH ANNUAL TIP REPORT 
SUBMISSION 
 
REF: SECSTATE 3836 
 
¶1.  This message is sensitive but unclassified--not/not for 
Internet distribution. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Embassy Nicosia hereby submits information for the 
March 2005-March 2006 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report. 
Embassy point of contact is Bridget Alway, Political Section, 
Tel: (357) 22-39-3545, Fax (357) 22-39-3467.  Approximately 
80 hours (FSO-03) and 55 hours (FSN) were spent in preparing 
this material. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Overview Questions: 
    ------------------------- 
 
¶A.  Cyprus is largely a destination country for trafficked 
women working in the sex industry.  There is evidence from 
the government, however, that in 2004 at least some women 
transited Cyprus to Lebanon and Syria after entering to work 
as "artistes" in cabarets.  Estimates on the number of 
victims are difficult to obtain; no official figures exist. 
The following statistics may help shed some light.  Among the 
42 women who cooperated with Police during 2005, 21 were 
Ukrainian, 10 were Moldavian, six were Russian, one was 
Romanian, two were Bulgarian, and two were Philippine.  Among 
the 57 victims who sought shelter at a Limassol shelter 
founded by a Cypriot Orthodox priest serving the Russian 
community (some of whom were referred by the police), 30 were 
Ukrainian, 11 were Moldavian, nine were Russian, three were 
Philippine, two were Belarussian, and two were Dominican. 
The Government reported that 4,000 "artiste" visas were 
issued during 2005 (but the Government reported that the 
number of women who actually came to Cyprus was less due to 
multiple entries) and that 458 visas were issued to women to 
work in pubs.  The Government said there were 80 cabarets and 
56 nightclubs in operation, 10 of which operated without any 
license.  Also during the reporting period, 42 victims either 
testified or pressed charges against their 
traffickers/employers.  The immigration police reported that 
women are rotated between cabarets in different cities 
throughout Cyprus.  There were also reports of trafficking in 
the area administered by Turkish Cypriots, north of the green 
line, which is outside of the government's control.  Septel 
will provide information on TIP issues on the Turkish Cypriot 
side.  The Welfare Department handled the cases of 36 women 
who also stayed in government-run temporary shelters.  One 
NGO reported cases of labor exploitation that may be related 
to trafficking (see 3, B).  There were no reports of children 
being trafficked. 
 
The sources of available information on trafficking in 
persons are various NGOs that provide services to victims, 
the Police, the Ministry of Interior, the Welfare Services 
and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  This year the 
government awarded a grant to an NGO to carry out research on 
trafficking, but the project has not yet begun.  The Limassol 
shelter founded by a Cypriot Orthodox priest serving the 
Russian community reported that typically victims belonged to 
one of two categories: women in their early 20s or women in 
their late 30s.  There were no reports of men or children 
being trafficked.  There continued to be reports of women 
coming to Cyprus on student visas from China who engage in 
prostitution and in some cases find themselves victims of 
sexual exploitation. 
 
¶B.  Since the last TIP report, arrests and police raids 
declined and therefore press coverage of TIP did as well. 
Despite this, there is political will to address trafficking 
at the highest levels of Government.  The Ambassador met with 
 
NICOSIA 00000313  002 OF 008 
 
 
the Minister of Interior to discuss the issue and was assured 
that the Ministry met regularly with agency partners to 
ensure that elements of Cyprus's national action plan to 
combat trafficking would materialize soon.  By the end of the 
reporting period, however, the Government had not completed 
any part of the national action plan. 
 
According to victims, journalists, NGOs, the Police and the 
Welfare Department, women are trafficked to Cyprus primarily 
for the purposes of prostitution and nude dancing.  The most 
common methods of forced compliance are withholding salary 
and travel documents, threat of deportation, and restriction 
of movement and association.  Women have reported that they 
have been forced to have sex with clients and cabaret owners. 
 The Limassol shelter founded by a Cypriot Orthodox priest 
serving the Russian community (please protect) reported there 
were rare cases of women coming on altered passports.  The 
women say they normally paid $200-250 to their impresarios to 
obtain passports if they did not already have one, but if an 
altered passport was obtained, the cost was $1,000.  There 
are also credible reports in which women from the 
Philippines, India and Sri Lanka who come to Cyprus to work 
as domestic household help are forced to work excessively 
long hours and are denied proper compensation and benefits. 
NGOs and the press have reported that employers in private 
businesses (restaurants, furniture workshops) have withheld 
pay (in at least one case, for years) and threatened migrants 
working illegally.  Some of these employers reportedly 
facilitated the migrants' entry into Cyprus on work permits 
that were unrelated to the work they would actually be doing. 
 
 
¶C.  The government does not lack resources for providing 
resources to aid victims.  While officials from the 
ministries of Interior and Labor and Social Welfare and the 
Police do take advantage of regional TIP training, all 
relevant government departments complained of a lack of 
funding, staffing and training to help them address 
anti-trafficking efforts.  The press reported police 
corruption and involvement in the sex industry (see also 5, 
K). 
 
¶D.  Anti-trafficking efforts on prosecution and victim 
protection are monitored by one full-time officer and one 
part-time officer, who make up the Office of Combating 
Trafficking in Human Beings at police headquarters.  The 
full-time officer's assessments were communicated to the 
embassy in a February meeting. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) PREVENTION 
    ---------------- 
 
¶A.  The Government acknowledges that trafficking is a problem 
and is committed to combating it. 
 
¶B.  The ministries of Interior, Labor and Social Welfare, 
Justice and Public Order (police), and Commerce, Industry and 
Tourism as well as the Attorney General's office have 
oversight on TIP.  The Ministry of Interior has been 
appointed the "guardian" of Cyprus's National Action Plan to 
combat trafficking and takes the lead in coordinating efforts. 
 
¶C.  There have been no government-run anti-trafficking 
information and education campaigns.  The Ministry of Justice 
has provided $10,000 (CYP 5,000) to an NGO, however, to 
conduct a campaign consisting of 1,000 posters and 15,000 
leaflets aimed at educating the public, and more 
specifically, at educating those who provide the demand for 
trafficking.  The campaign is scheduled to begin in March 
 
NICOSIA 00000313  003 OF 008 
 
 
¶2006.  The Ministry of Interior reported that in addition to 
this, it is preparing to conduct an information campaign with 
materials provided by the Council of Europe.  As part of the 
national action plan, authorities have also prepared an 
informative leaflet for those entering Cyprus on work permits 
(separate from the leaflet produced last year for 
"artistes"), but it has not yet been translated from Greek, 
printed or distributed. Police maintain that their 
crime-prevention hotline continued to receive an increased 
number of TIP-related calls, and said that they continue to 
issue press releases each time an arrest related to 
trafficking is made.  They also appeared on one television 
talk show during the reporting period to discuss trafficking. 
 
 
¶D.  The Government is not involved in any other prevention 
programs. 
 
¶F.  During the year the Government had only limited 
interaction with NGOs and civil society organizations working 
on TIP.  The Government reported that it provided 
approximately $8 million (CYP 4m) to NGOs that run welfare 
programs (for programs other than trafficking).  Civil 
society organizations complained that the Government was not 
proactive in helping victims and denounced some officials as 
hypocritical for having ties to cabarets and their owners. 
During the year the administrator of the Limassol shelter 
founded by a Cypriot Orthodox priest serving the Russian 
community (please protect) alleged that she was threatened 
with deportation (though she is a Cypriot citizen) by the 
former police chief because the shelter was "causing problems 
for the police."  Despite this, the full-time officer in the 
Police's Office of Combating Trafficking in Human Beings gave 
informal referrals to the shelter.  Members of the Green 
party also participated in a nascent NGO coalition against 
trafficking. 
 
¶G.  The immigration police do not monitor immigration and 
emigration patterns for evidence of trafficking.  At ports of 
entry, authorities screen for illegal immigrants. 
Immigration Police closely monitor the entry of non-EU 
citizens.  The GOC exercises no control over any entry points 
in north Cyprus, however.  While the ROC maintains that it is 
illegal to enter Cyprus through its entry points in the 
north, the EU and other third country nationals do so without 
fear of prosecution.  There are also numerous cases of 
persons crossing the "Green Line" to enter the ROC illegally 
from north Cyprus without visas.  The Police maintain that 
due to their regular inspections of all cabarets and bars, 
none of the women working in such establishments are in 
Cyprus without the proper visa. 
 
¶H.  See also 3, B.  The Ministry of Interior meets regularly 
with the various Government agencies that have 
anti-trafficking responsibilities.  The Permanent Secretary 
at the Ministry of Interior is the single point of contact on 
trafficking.  The Government does not have a public 
corruption task force. 
 
¶J.  On May 12, 2005, the Council of Ministers approved a 
national action plan to combat trafficking drafted by a 
"Group of Experts" with input from the ministries of 
Interior, Labor and Social Insurance, Commerce, Industry and 
Tourism and Justice and Public Order, the Attorney General's 
Office, the Ombudsman and NGOs.  The Ministry of Interior was 
appointed coordinator of this national action plan.  The plan 
was not subsequently passed into law by Parliament, but it 
includes provisions for this draft and the adoption of 
specific legislation. 
 
NICOSIA 00000313  004 OF 008 
 
 
 
¶5.  (SBU) INVESTIGATION AND PROSECUTION OF TRAFFICKERS 
     --------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
¶A.  No new legislation has been enacted since the last TIP 
report.  Over the last year the Government has been revising 
draft legislation on aliens and immigration and trafficking 
that would abolish the "artiste" visa, bring current 
legislation into harmony with the European Acquis 
Communautaire (including by expanding the definition of 
trafficking beyond sex trafficking), and tighten the criteria 
for working as an employment agent or "impresario" in Cyprus. 
 At the end of the reporting period this legislation had not 
been introduced to parliament.  Current legislation is a 
January 2000 law based on 1997 EU regulations that makes it a 
felony to engage in the sexual exploitation and trafficking 
of adults (with or without their consent) and children. 
There is no specific law against trafficking for non-sexual 
purposes.  However, strong legislation against forced labor 
exists.  The law does not address internal vs. external 
trafficking.   It is illegal to procure a woman for the 
purpose of prostitution.  The law is applicable even in cases 
with supposed consent by victims.  The law also says that 
victims have the right to file civil law suits against anyone 
responsible for their exploitation, and it holds those 
responsible liable to pay special and general compensation 
covering all costs incurred by the victim, including 
repatriation.  The civil court may also order the payment of 
punitive compensation based on the extent of exploitation 
suffered. 
 
¶B.  The 2000-anti-trafficking law obligates the state to 
provide protection and support for victims and provides 
punishment of up to 15 years for cases involving adult 
victims and 20 years for cases involving child victims. 
Accessories in trafficking cases can be punished by fines of 
10,000 Cyprus pounds and/or ten years imprisonment.  There is 
no law specific to trafficking for labor exploitation. 
 
¶C.  The penalties for rape or forcible sexual assault include 
up to life in prison. Attempted rape is punishable with up to 
10 years in prison. 
 
¶D.  It is illegal to live on the proceeds of prostitution or 
to procure a woman for the purpose of prostitution, thus 
criminalizing the activities of brothel owners and pimps. 
Voluntary prostitution, however, is not specifically 
forbidden under Cypriot law.  The police maintain that 
prostitutes are not arrested on the grounds of the above law, 
and we have no information to the contrary.  NGOs report that 
Police often cite a lack of evidence as a reason for not 
being able to prosecute cabaret owners on charges of living 
on the proceeds of prostitution. 
 
¶E.  There was a decrease in arrests on the grounds of crimes 
related to prostitution and sexual exploitation (the 
following statistics include the sexual exploitation of 
minors unrelated to trafficking).  In 2005, there were 47 new 
cases involving 74 people (compared to last year's 91 cases 
and 194 arrests).  Of these, the courts found the accused in 
five cases guilty of living on the earnings of prostitution, 
those in four cases were acquitted, two cases were "otherwise 
disposed of," two cases were classified as "non-existing," 
one case was filed as "nolle-prosequi," one case was 
dismissed, six were under investigation at the end of the 
reporting period, and the rest were pending trial in court. 
 
In addition, during the reporting period Police charged 62 
people with trafficking in human beings for sexual 
 
NICOSIA 00000313  005 OF 008 
 
 
exploitation directly (compared to last year's 28). 
Information on the status of these cases at the end of the 
reporting period was not available (Police reported in 
October that all cases were still pending trial). 
 
¶F.  See also 3, A.  Victims of trafficking at the Limassol 
shelter say they were recruited in their home countries by 
local "agents" looking for dancers, but some also responded 
to Internet advertisements.  They traveled alone on "artiste" 
visas and were met at the airport by local "impresarios." 
These generally unlicensed impresarios reportedly work on 
contract for a legitimate employment agent who is licensed by 
the state.  It is allegedly this principal agent who signs 
the women's travel documents and work contracts.  The victims 
indicate that "impresarios" are usually Cypriots, but 
sometimes are third-country nationals in Cyprus working at 
cabarets or for international companies.  Police and NGOs 
both report that former "artistes" who have married Cypriots 
often work with their husbands or even their previous 
employers to recruit women from their home countries. 
 
¶G.  NGOs reported that the Government was less active in 
investigating cases of trafficking this year.  Many said that 
police told them they no longer needed women to provide 
testimony for evidence because police officers participating 
in undercover sting operations could provide testimony 
instead.  Cypriot courts, however, generally do not allow 
evidence obtained through undercover investigations or 
wiretapping operations.  Police maintained that they 
continued to actively encourage women in these cases to 
testify. 
 
¶H.  The Police reported that TIP training is a required unit 
in the curriculum of all criminal investigation department 
training.  They also said that officers continue to attend 
training sessions overseas with INTERPOL, EUROPOL and CEPOL. 
 
¶I.  The Government has international cooperative agreements 
with Greece, Russia, Syria, Italy, Hungary, Bulgaria, 
Slovenia, Estonia, Lebanon and Ukraine (the latter five were 
signed in 2004).  Police cooperated in five international 
trafficking investigations during the reporting period and 
occasionally responded to letters of rogatory for foreign 
investigations.  The Government does not, however, cooperate 
with the authorities in the area administered by Turkish 
Cypriots in investigating or prosecuting any trafficking 
cases. 
 
¶J.  Individuals charged under the trafficking law are subject 
to the relevant extradition treaties.  The Cyprus 
Constitution currently bars the extradition of Cypriot 
citizens, but the parliament is considering possible 
legislation to amend this so that Cypriots could be 
extradited to other EU countries. 
 
¶K.  In January the press reported a series of incidents 
exposing police corruption that resulted in officers being 
charged with extortion, "illegal possession and trafficking 
of explosive devices," abuse of power, solicitation of 
prostitution, conspiracy to commit a crime, maintaining a 
brothel, pimping and living off immoral earnings.  In one 
case, a foreign national contacted a police officer for help 
in deporting his wife.  In response, the officer, along with 
a colleague, allegedly blackmailed the man into paying them 
approximately $30,000 and forced him to transport a package 
that turned out to be a pipe bomb.  In another case, a police 
raid interrupted a police officer committing a sex act in a 
brothel of which he was allegedly a part-owner.  The brothel 
apparently solicited customers by placing advertisements in 
 
NICOSIA 00000313  006 OF 008 
 
 
newspapers.  Finally, a police officer offered a ride home 
from a pub to a Bulgarian woman and then allegedly forced her 
to perform oral sex in his car.  NGOs alleged that defense 
lawyers for cabaret owners accepted payment for their 
services in the form of women from the cabarets. 
 
¶L.  The cases mentioned above are still under investigation. 
The Government has formed an independent body to investigate 
complaints against the police.  Some political parties have 
criticized the body's independence since it includes a former 
senior police officer.  The parliament is considering a 
proposal to create an Internal Affairs Department in the 
police. 
 
¶M.  N/A 
 
¶N.   (i)  The ILO Convention 182 Concerning the Prohibition 
and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms 
of Child Labor was ratified by the GOC on November 27, 2000. 
 
(ii)  ILO Conventions 29 and 105 on Forced or Compulsory 
Labor have been ratified by the GOC since 1960. 
 
(iii)  In 2001, the GOC signed the Optional Protocol to the 
Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) on the sale of 
children, child prostitution and child pornography, but the 
Government has yet to ratify it. 
 
(iv)  The protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish 
Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, 
Supplementing the UN Convention against Transnational 
Organized Crime was signed by the GOC in December 2000 and 
ratified August 2003. 
 
¶6. PROTECTION AND ASSISTANCE TO VICTIMS 
    ------------------------------------ 
 
¶A.  Under the 2000 trafficking law, the GOC is required to 
protect individuals bringing trafficking complaints.  This 
includes providing shelter as well as medical and psychiatric 
care until victims recover from any traumatic experience. 
Persons convicted of trafficking may be required by the court 
to pay the above costs.  The Government has assigned the 
Office of Social Welfare the responsibility of advising and 
giving counsel to victims.  This office is still preparing 
the "Manual of Interdepartmental Procedures for Handling 
Cases of Victims of Trafficking" begun last year.  The 
Welfare services provided shelter for recognized victims in 
subsidized homes for the elderly for up to three weeks.  The 
GOC had secured the lease on a permanent shelter for victims 
in the city of Limassol, but the owner of the building 
recently reneged on the contract.  The government is 
currently seeking another location. 
 
¶B.  During this reporting period the Government awarded a 
contract to an NGO to operate the aforementioned shelter, but 
the NGO declined, citing inadequate staff and training to 
operate the shelter.  See also 4,C. 
 
¶C.  There is no standard screening and referral process. 
 
¶D.  See also question 6, A.  Women who leave a cabaret have 
the right to stay in Cyprus and receive shelter, financial 
and legal assistance on a long-term basis only if they agree 
to cooperate in the investigation and prosecution of a former 
employer/trafficker.  If a woman cooperates with the Police, 
she cannot be jailed or detained.  A woman who is arrested 
for practicing prostitution on her own may be deported on the 
grounds of having violated her visa terms. 
 
NICOSIA 00000313  007 OF 008 
 
 
 
¶E.  The Government reported that it encouraged victims to 
assist in the investigation and prosecution of traffickers. 
NGOs alleged, however, that police did not encourage victims 
to testify.  During the reporting period, the police 
identified 55 victims, of whom 42 were willing to testify 
against their exploiters.  In 2005, police reported that none 
asked for police protection.  Victims may sue their 
traffickers for damages in civil courts once the traffickers 
are convicted in criminal courts.  A victim may remain in 
Cyprus and seek alternate employment only if she is assisting 
an investigation or prosecution.  A victim may leave Cyprus 
while participating in an investigation if she is willing to 
return to testify once the case goes to court.  If a woman 
files a complaint against her employer, the spirit of the 
anti-trafficking law is that authorities should immediately 
relocate her, put her in a "witness protection program" and 
assist her financially while they work to prosecute her 
trafficker/employer.  If she does not want to testify, these 
protections are not always implemented. 
 
¶F.  See also 6,A.  The Government provides shelter, financial 
assistance and legal/psychological counseling to 
victims/witnesses.  Currently there is no permanent shelter, 
but the Government set aside rooms in three government 
subsidized homes for the elderly, where victims could stay 
for up to three weeks.  There were no child victims reported 
during the year. 
 
¶G.  During the reporting period, the Government sent 15 
employees of the Welfare Services for specialized training in 
Italy.  While there, social workers toured shelters and 
discussed counseling methods used with trafficking victims. 
According to the Welfare Department, the Government does not 
provide training on protection assistance to its embassies 
and consulates in source countries. 
 
¶H.  Cyprus is not a source country. 
 
¶I.  There is one civil society-run shelter in Limassol 
directed by Father Savvas Michaelides, a Cypriot Orthodox 
priest serving the Russian community.  As mentioned above, 
the shelter has disagreements with the police, and both 
Father Michaelides and the shelter's administrator (please 
protect) were summoned to police stations twice during the 
reporting period for questioning.  (Note: During the 
reporting period this shelter did not receive funds from the 
Government.) The shelter has ties to the international NGO La 
Strada.  No international NGOs that work on trafficking are 
based in Cyprus, and no other local NGOs work exclusively on 
TIP. 
 
¶6.  TIP HERO 
 
Father Savvas Michaelides, a Cypriot Orthodox priest 
appointed by the Bishop of Limassol to serve the Russian 
community in Cyprus, founded a shelter for victims of 
trafficking in 2004.  The shelter is run through an NGO 
entitled Stigma Organization, and is headed by a board of 
directors.  Fr. Savvas and one administrator run the shelter 
with financial assistance from the Church of Cyprus (notably 
through the donation of the shelter premises) and private 
donations.  While Fr. Savvas solicits donations from the 
Russian community, he personally provides the majority of the 
shelter's funding for daily operations despite his limited 
personal financial resources.  In 2005, the shelter served 57 
victims.  This year Stigma Organization was the only NGO in 
Cyprus that provided victims with shelter, support and 
repatriation assistance.  In addition to running the shelter, 
 
NICOSIA 00000313  008 OF 008 
 
 
Fr. Savvas is a vocal advocate in support of victims of 
trafficking.  He attends seminars (including those organized 
by the U.S. and other embassies) and makes his views known 
through articles and interviews in the local media and the 
media in source countries.  He encourages women in the 
shelter to testify against their traffickers and testifies 
himself when called upon to do so.  He has confronted local 
officials and police publicly about the illegitimacy of 
Cyprus's "artiste" visa system.  He has also formed links 
with the Russian Orthodox church and the La Strada 
organizations in source countries in an effort to coordinate 
prevention activities and to ensure that victims receive 
support upon their repatriation.  Finally, he has even 
attempted to distribute informative leaflets at cabarets on 
his own.  At considerable risk to his personal safety and the 
safety of his family, he often rescues victims directly from 
the hands of their traffickers.  Fr. Savvas is tireless in 
his efforts, despite personal and family illness, and 
harassment from nightclub owners and police.  His 
contribution to fighting TIP in Cyprus is singular and 
extraordinary. 
SCHLICHER