In its third report on Cyprus, the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) analyses trafficking victims’ access to justice and effective remedies and examines progress in the implementation of previous GRETA recommendations. The report acknowledges that in recent years Cyprus has taken some positive steps to improve its legislation and policies to combat trafficking in human beings. In 2019, amendments were made to the anti-trafficking legislation, increasing significantly the penalties for human trafficking and criminalising the use of sexual services of victims of trafficking. The Multidisciplinary Co-ordinating Group adopted a new National Action Plan against human trafficking for 2019-2021. Further, a National Referral Mechanism for the identification and referral to assistance of victims of trafficking was established in 2016. However, GRETA is concerned that during the period under review (2015-2019), no legal aid has been provided to trafficking victims, and only two applications for legal aid for the purpose of claiming compensation have been approved by the Attorney General’s Office. There are no examples of compensation granted by decision of a criminal court judge in human trafficking cases. Furthermore, the setting up of the victim support fund, which can be used to compensate victims of trafficking, has been delayed, and no victim of trafficking has so far received state compensation in Cyprus. GRETA therefore calls on the Cypriot authorities to ensure that victims receive specialised legal assistance and free legal aid at an early stage of criminal proceedings, and to set up a victim support fund as a priority. GRETA further urges the authorities to facilitate and guarantee access to compensation from perpetrators, including by collecting evidence about the harm the victim has suffered and the financial gain from the exploitation, as part of criminal investigations.

post

page

attachment

revision

nav_menu_item

custom_css

customize_changeset

oembed_cache

user_request

wp_block

wp_template

wp_template_part

wp_global_styles

wp_navigation

wp_font_family

wp_font_face

acf-taxonomy

acf-post-type

acf-field-group

acf-field

ai1ec_event

exactmetrics_note

Legal Deserts Reports
Guidance

Human trafficking victims who are exploited in the commercial sex industry try are highly likely to be arrested for offenses catalyzed by their victimization. The resulting criminal records shadow survivors out of trafficking and serve as barriers t...Read More

Guidance note on addressing the risks of trafficking in human beings related to the war in Ukraine and the ensuing humanitarian crisis
Guidance

With the unprecedented movement of people forced to flee Ukraine since the start of the war, 90% of whom are women and children, NGOs and media have sounded the alarm over suspected cases of human trafficking. Presumed victims have been detected, an...Read More

Eliminating Human Trafficking from the Thai Fishing Industry
Guidance

Findings from this research expand current knowledge about the various reasons why trafficking and exploitation persist in the Thai fishing industry, despite various state and corporate actions to prevent and address it. The main recommendation...Read More

Cash transfer mapping report
Guidance

In 2015, 193 countries committed to Target 8.7 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), pledging to take effective measures to eradicate modern slavery, human trafficking, forced labour and child labour. The outbreak of COVID-19 severely impacte...Read More