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FM AMEMBASSY NICOSIA
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INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 5374
RUEHTH/AMEMBASSY ATHENS 4130
RUEHBM/AMEMBASSY BUCHAREST 0366
RUEHCH/AMEMBASSY CHISINAU 0115
RUEHDM/AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS 2142
RUEHKV/AMEMBASSY KYIV 0042
RUEHML/AMEMBASSY MANILA 0092
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 2177
RUEHDG/AMEMBASSY SANTO DOMINGO 0042
RUEHNT/AMEMBASSY TASHKENT 0001
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 1165
RUEHIK/AMCONSUL THESSALONIKI 0042
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 0122
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1351

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 
 
NICOSIA 00000123  001.4 OF 008 
 
 
 ¶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 
 
NICOSIA 00000123  002.2 OF 008 
 
 
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." 
 
 
NICOSIA 00000123  003.4 OF 008 
 
 
¶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 
 
NICOSIA 00000123  004.4 OF 008 
 
 
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." 
 
 
NICOSIA 00000123  005.4 OF 008 
 
 
¶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 
 
NICOSIA 00000123  006.4 OF 008 
 
 
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 
 
NICOSIA 00000123  007.7 OF 008 
 
 
¶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 
 
 
NICOSIA 00000123  008.4 OF 008 
 
 
¶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