VZCZCXRO1768
PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHNP RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSK RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHNC #0124/01 0441415
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 131415Z FEB 09
FM AMEMBASSY NICOSIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9631
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHUJA/AMEMBASSY ABUJA 0017
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 5382
RUEHTH/AMEMBASSY ATHENS 4138
RUEHEK/AMEMBASSY BISHKEK 0049
RUEHBM/AMEMBASSY BUCHAREST 0374
RUEHCH/AMEMBASSY CHISINAU 0123
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
RUEHML/AMEMBASSY MANILA 0100
RUEHSK/AMEMBASSY MINSK 0001
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 0082
RUEHNT/AMEMBASSY TASHKENT 0009
RUEHSI/AMEMBASSY TBILISI 0046
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 1173
RUEHIK/AMCONSUL THESSALONIKI 0050
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1359
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 0130

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 07 NICOSIA 000124 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR G/TIP, G-ACBLANK, INL, DRL, PRM, EUR/SE AND 
EUR/PGI, STATE PLEASE PASS TO USAID 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KCRM KFRD KWMN ELAB PGOV PHUM PREF
SUBJECT: TURKISH CYPRIOT-ADMINISTERED AREA -- NINTH ANNUAL 
TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS (TIP) REPORT SUBMISSION 
 
REF: SECSTATE 132759 
 
NICOSIA 00000124  001.2 OF 007 
 
 
¶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) 22-39-3-364, 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 the Turkish Cypriot 
"government," local and international NGOs and the media. 
The Embassy has long-standing relationships with these 
sources and considers them reliable. 
 
¶B. The area administered by Turkish Cypriots is a destination 
for women who are trafficked to work in the sex industry. 
Internal trafficking does not occur but there have been 
reported instances of victims being trafficked from the area 
administered by the Turkish Cypriots to the 
government-controlled area.  Turkish Cypriot authorities 
believe the area under their control is a transit point for 
people wishing to enter the EU illegally.  The scope of the 
trafficking problem is not clear, as the authorities do not 
recognize trafficking victims as such and do not keep 
statistics.  There have been no reported changes in the TIP 
situation since the last TIP report. 
 
¶C. The vast majority of victims come to work in nightclubs or 
pubs, although authorities have also indicated that a 
significant number of Turkish women, who enter the area 
administered by Turkish Cypriots either on three-month 
tourist "visas" or on student "visas," work as prostitutes 
out of apartments in the cities of Nicosia, Kyrenia and 
Famagusta.  Women trafficked for purposes of commercial sex 
do not change location once they have signed contracts with 
particular nightclubs in the north.  A nightclub may employ 
up to 12 women, but pubs, following a 2007 amendment to the 
nightclubs "law," can employ a maximum of three. 
 
¶D. The majority of trafficking victims are women from Eastern 
Europe.  According to the "immigration police" most of the 
women working in nightclubs and pubs during the reporting 
period came from Moldova (approximately 75 percent) and 
Ukraine (around 10 percent), as well as smaller numbers from 
Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, the 
Philippines, Kenya, Romania, and Nigeria.  There was a 
significant drop in the number of Russian women working in 
nightclubs and pubs. 
 
¶E. As noted above, the vast majority of victims come to work 
in nightclubs using the "artiste"-category work permit. 
Victims generally entered the area administered by Turkish 
Cypriots via Turkey, the only country with direct commercial 
air links to the area.  These women may be subject to 
violence, threats, excessive working hours and inadequate 
pay, and may be forced to perform sexual acts for clients and 
employers.  Turkish Cypriot authorities say that they do not 
know precisely who is behind this trafficking, since victims 
 
NICOSIA 00000124  002.2 OF 007 
 
 
arrive via Turkey, and they do not know what happens to these 
foreign women between the time they leave their countries of 
origin and arrive in the area administered by Turkish 
Cypriots.  The authorities have indicated, however, that men 
accompanying these women at/through ports of entry are often 
Turkish.  NGO representatives believe that organized crime is 
behind the ownership and management of some of the nightclubs 
in the area administered by Turkish Cypriots.  The local 
press reported the claims of an independent researcher who 
had interviewed "artistes" at nightclubs that these women 
come to Cyprus with the assistance of employment agencies 
supposedly seeking models, baby-sitters, or caretakers for 
the elderly.  There were no reported cases of false documents 
being used for trafficking purposes during the reporting 
period. 
 
¶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. Turkish Cypriot authorities acknowledge that trafficking 
is a problem on the island and are showing an increased 
political will to deal with the problem.  Authorities are 
gradually becoming more educated about trafficking compared 
to previous years. 
 
¶B. A "Nightclub Commission," comprised of police, "Ministry 
of Labor," and "Ministry of Health" personnel, regulates 
these establishments.  The "Ministry of Interior" serves as 
"interagency" coordinator in all issues concerning 
nightclubs.  It meets once a month to discuss issues related 
to nightclubs/pubs and their employees.  The "Commission" 
makes recommendations to the "Ministry of Interior" on the 
granting of operating licenses, on changes to employee 
quotas, and on the need to intervene in any problems arising 
at a particular establishment.  In addition, other 
"government officials," including the "Minister of Interior" 
and members of the "police," have attended and/or taken part 
in anti-TIP events in the past (see para 5F). 
 
¶C. There are a number of limitations on the "government's" 
ability to address trafficking.  No anti-trafficking 
legislation has yet been enacted and Turkish Cypriot 
authorities are not party to any international agreements due 
to the unrecognized status of the "Turkish Republic of 
Northern Cyprus -- TRNC."  Likewise, no international NGOs 
have offices in the area administered by Turkish Cypriots. 
The authorities have signed no cooperative agreements with 
source countries, and would almost certainly be unable to do 
so due to recognition issues.  Anti-trafficking efforts are 
also limited by the fact that the "government" has not made 
any funding available for such purposes, though it likely 
could do so if it wanted to.  Overall corruption related to 
TIP does not appear to be a problem. 
 
¶D. There is no mechanism in place for the "government" to 
monitor its anti-trafficking efforts.  All statistics 
gathered regarding trafficking are collateral: the "Ministry 
of Interior" tracks the number of work permits issued to 
nightclubs and pubs; "immigration police" track entries/exits 
and repatriations to/from the area administered by Turkish 
Cypriots; the "Ministry of Health" keeps statistics on the 
required, weekly health checks for nightclub workers; and the 
"police" keep statistics on arrests related to prostitution, 
 
NICOSIA 00000124  003.2 OF 007 
 
 
in the absence of anti-trafficking "legislation." 
Information and statistics are readily available from the 
Turkish Cypriot authorities upon request, although there was 
no regular public disclosure. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Answers in this para are keyed to the questions in 
reftel, para 25, "Investigation and Prosecution of 
Traffickers." 
 
¶A. The area administered by Turkish Cypriots does not have a 
"law" that specifically prohibits trafficking in persons, and 
no new trafficking "legislation" has been enacted since the 
last TIP report.  However, a draft anti-TIP "law" was 
prepared during the reporting period and sent to the 
"parliament."  It is currently with the "legal and political 
affairs committee" but has not yet been discussed.  It will 
not be acted on before the upcoming "parliamentary" elections 
(19 April 2009), as the "parliament" is required to cease 
"law-making" activities 60 days before any election. 
Therefore, the draft "law" will need to wait for the new 
"government" to be formed after the elections before it can 
be taken up.  In 2008, as in previous years, 
trafficking-related cases were tried pursuant to the 
"Criminal Code of the TRNC" concerning (1) living off the 
earnings of prostitution or off the earnings of the provision 
of prostitutes and/or (2) encouraging prostitution.  This 
"law" also prohibits (3) abduction and (4) forced labor. 
Currently, the "Nightclubs and Similar Places of 
Entertainment Law" of 2000 provides the most relevant legal 
framework vis-a-vis trafficking.  Under this "law," foreign 
women are not allowed to live on-site at their place of 
employment, but instead live together as a group in a 
dormitory, which is usually adjacent to the nightclub or pub, 
or at another accommodation arranged by the establishment 
owner.  In order to prevent establishment owners from taking 
their employees' passports, thereby further restricting their 
freedom of movement, Turkish Cypriot immigration police hold 
the travel documents for the duration of their stay. (Note: 
The police fall under the "Prime Ministry," but they are 
ultimately under the operational command of the Turkish 
military, per transitional Article 10 of the "TRNC 
constitution," which "temporarily" cedes responsibility for 
public security and defense from Turkish Cypriot civilian 
authorities to Turkey). 
 
¶B. The area administered by Turkish Cypriots does not have a 
"law" that specifically prohibits trafficking in persons; 
however, persons convicted of living off the earnings of 
prostitution or off the earnings of the provision of 
prostitutes, or of encouraging prostitution, may receive up 
to two years imprisonment and/or a fine of YTL 1,000 (USD). 
Persons convicted of abduction may receive up a to seven-year 
prison sentence.  There is no minimum penalty in the Turkish 
Cypriot "legal system." 
 
¶C. Persons convicted of forced labor may receive up to one 
year imprisonment.  As noted above, persons convicted of 
abduction may receive up to seven years imprisonment.  There 
are no "laws" that punish those who confiscate workers' 
passports or travel documents for the purpose of trafficking, 
switch contracts, or withhold payment of salaries in order to 
keep workers in a state of service.  In the reporting period, 
there were no reported incidents of labor trafficking 
offenses. 
 
NICOSIA 00000124  004.2 OF 007 
 
 
 
¶D. The law prescribes no minimum sentence for individuals 
convicted of rape, including spousal rape; the maximum 
sentence is life imprisonment.  There are no prescribed 
penalties for crimes of trafficking. 
 
¶E. The authorities have prosecuted cases against nightclub 
owners and pimps on prostitution-related charges (see para 5A 
above); however, no statistics are kept on cases against 
human trafficking offenders.  The area administered by the 
Turkish Cypriots is not considered a labor source or 
destination "country." 
 
¶F. The "government" does not provide any specialized training 
for government officials in how to recognize, investigate, 
and prosecute instances of trafficking.  Although no training 
took place during the rating period, in February 2008 the US 
Embassy, British High Commission, and NGO the Turkish Cypriot 
Human Rights Foundation (KTIHV) organized an anti-TIP 
conference which included discussions on victims services, 
victim identification and awareness-raising campaigns. 
Speakers included "Undersecretary to the Minister of 
Interior" Ali Alnar and "First Lady" Oya Talat. 
 
¶G. Turkish Cypriot authorities cooperate with Turkish 
authorities on most criminal matters, but 
trafficking-specific cooperation is often lacking due to the 
absence of anti-trafficking "legislation" in the area 
administered by Turkish Cypriots.  The Turkish Cypriot 
authorities have cooperated in the past with the UN police to 
conduct a raid and rescue a victim; usually, however, Turkish 
Cypriot authorities are able to cooperate only with Turkey, 
although they can and have contacted Interpol (via Turkey) on 
other matters. 
 
¶H. The "TRNC constitution" does not allow the extradition of 
Turkish Cypriots; Turkish Cypriot authorities have no plans 
to amend this prohibition.  The authorities can, however, 
extradite citizens from other countries, although they did 
not receive any requests to do so during the reporting 
period. 
 
¶I. There is no evidence of involvement in trafficking by 
"government" authorities, but trafficking can be said to be 
tolerated due to a lack of anti-trafficking legislation, 
prosecution, and infrastructure.  The "government" has issued 
public statements for the last year that indicate growing 
interest in tackling trafficking, however, and there are 
efforts being made to pass the draft anti-TIP "law." 
 
¶J. No "government officials" were prosecuted for engaging in 
related crimes during the rating period. 
 
¶K. Prostitution is illegal, as are "living off the earnings 
of prostitution or off the earnings of the provision of 
prostitutes" and "encouraging prostitution."  Nightclubs are 
governed by "legislation" and are supposed to provide only 
entertainment (i.e. dance shows, etc).  The "law" states that 
an "artiste" who commits prostitution may receive up to two 
years in prison and/or a fine of up to 1000 YTL 
(approximately $605).  The same penalties apply to those who 
"encourage" an "artiste" to engage in prostitution. The 
authorities have enforced the law and prosecuted cases 
against nightclub owners, pimps and clients on 
 
NICOSIA 00000124  005.2 OF 007 
 
 
prostitution-related charges. 
 
¶L. N/A 
 
¶M. N/A 
 
¶6. (SBU) Answers in this para are keyed to the questions in 
reftel, para 26, "Protection and Assistance to the Victims." 
 
¶A. Existing "law" does not provide for protection of victims, 
and the "government" does not provide protection in practice. 
 There is no formalized witness protection program, but if a 
woman attains "witness" status in a case against her 
employer, she would be accommodated in a hotel under police 
protection until the case is concluded. 
 
 
¶B. No victim care facilities exist.  No specialized care 
exists for adults, children or male victims.  There is no 
publicly-supported shelter in the area administered by 
Turkish Cypriots.  Historically, Turkish Cypriot authorities 
were not convinced that there was need for such victim 
services, including a shelter, because the "police" arrange 
immediate repatriation for foreign women who wish to leave 
their employment.  Authorities are considering increasing 
victim protection services and have expressed a desire to do 
so. 
 
¶C. The "government" provides no legal or psychological 
services to trafficking victims.  The "Ministry of Health" 
normally operates a "157" helpline, similar to the one 
operating in Turkey, to provide support to "artistes" seeking 
help.  This helpline is currently out of service, but Turkish 
Cypriot authorities contend that it will resume service in 
the near future.  When in service, the nurse responsible for 
answering the "157" calls spoke Russian, Moldovan, English 
and Turkish.  The "Ministry of Health" requires nightclub 
employees to report to a hospital for weekly health checks in 
order to prevent the spread of sexually-transmitted diseases. 
 Furthermore, the "Ministry" inspects nightclubs to ensure 
that these women are not subjected to unsanitary working or 
living conditions.  Turkish Cypriot authorities did not 
provide funding or other forms of support to foreign or 
domestic NGOs or international organizations for services to 
victims. 
 
¶D. The "government" does not provide temporary or permanent 
residency status for trafficking victims.  Trafficking 
victims are not identified as such.  Deportation is the most 
common form of "rescue" the authorities use for women who 
complain about their employment at nightclubs and demand help 
from the police.  If the woman does not want to be deported 
and expresses a desire to seek legal action, the woman 
attains "witness" status (as noted in para 6A above) and 
would be accommodated in a hotel under police protection 
until the case is concluded. 
 
¶E. The "government" does not provide long-term shelter or 
housing benefits to victims, except if they are witnesses in 
cases as noted in paras 6A and D above. 
 
¶F. There is no formal system of identification and referral 
in the area administered by the Turkish Cypriots. 
 
 
NICOSIA 00000124  006.2 OF 007 
 
 
¶G. Trafficking victims are not formally recognized as such, 
and there were no trafficking victims identified during the 
reporting period.  If a foreign woman is arrested for 
prostitution, the authorities typically deport her the same 
day.  During the reporting period, no victims were referred 
to care facilities or social service authorities and none 
were assisted by assistance programs. 
 
¶H. Police took advantage of nightclub and pub inspections to 
interview the foreign women working there and to ask if they 
were having any problems.  According to police, several 
nightclubs and pubs are inspected on a weekly basis, and at 
least one inspection is conducted each month in each 
establishment. 
 
I: Victims of trafficking enjoy no special rights, and if a 
victim is arrested for involvement in prostitution, she is 
usually detained and then deported, usually within 24 hours. 
However, if the victim is a witness in a case against her 
trafficker, she will remain on island until the completion of 
the case. 
 
¶J. The "government" does not generally encourage victims to 
assist in prosecutions against traffickers, and almost all 
victims are immediately deported, except (as noted in paras 
6A and D above) when a victim decides to pursue legal action 
and attains "witness" status.  A victim with "witness" status 
would not be entitled find other employment.  Victims are not 
allowed to leave the area administered by Turkish Cypriots 
pending trial and usually are deported at the end of the 
trial process.  Police claim that an unspecified number of 
foreign women cooperated and gave statements in the 
investigations of crimes related to prostitution.  Victims 
have no means to pursue legal action or file civil suits 
against their bosses/clients/pimps, and there is no victim 
restitution program. 
 
¶K. Turkish Cypriot authorities do not receive specialized 
training in recognizing trafficking and providing assistance 
to victims.  The "government" does not provide training and 
assistance to its "embassies" abroad, and no trafficking 
victims were assisted by "TRNC embassies" during the 
reporting period. 
 
¶L. There have been no reports of Turkish Cypriot women who 
have been repatriated as victims of trafficking and the area 
administered by the Turkish Cypriots is not considered a 
source "country." 
 
¶M. There were no international organizations or NGOs that 
provided services for TIP victims.  There are Turkish Cypriot 
NGOs involved in anti-trafficking efforts, but they have been 
more involved with awareness raising and research of the 
problem.  The "government's" cooperation with these NGOs has 
been limited to the conference noted in para 5F and its 
efforts reaching out to local NGOs for advice on drafting the 
anti-TIP "legislation" currently "in committee." 
 
¶7. (SBU) Answers in this para are keyed to the questions in 
reftel, para 27, "Prevention." 
 
¶A. The Turkish Cypriot authorities have not conducted any 
government-run anti-trafficking information or education 
campaigns during the reporting period. 
 
NICOSIA 00000124  007.2 OF 007 
 
 
 
¶B. Turkish Cypriot authorities monitor both air and sea ports 
of entry and the Green Line (dividing the 
government-controlled and Turkish-Cypriot administered areas 
of Cyprus) and maintain basic statistical information; 
however, they do not monitor immigration and emigration 
patterns for evidence of trafficking. 
 
¶C. There is no mechanism for coordination and communication 
between various Turkish Cypriot "agencies," or between the 
"government" and relevant internal or international entities. 
 There is no working group or task force other than the 
"Nightclub Commission" noted in para 4B above. 
 
¶D. Turkish Cypriot authorities have not developed a 
"national" plan of action to address TIP. 
 
¶E. The authorities have taken no measures to reduce the 
demand for commercial sex acts. 
 
¶F. The authorities have taken no measures during the 
reporting period to reduce participation in international 
child sex tourism by Turkish-Cypriot "nationals;" however, 
international child sex tourism is not a documented issue in 
Cyprus. 
 
¶G. N/A 
Urbancic