Courts seek to close sex toy loophole

ANYONE planning a shopping trip to spice up their love life had better make it soon, because if the Supreme Court has its way, vibrators and other love aids will soon be a thing of the past in Cyprus.

According to press reports, the Supreme Court will be asking the Council of Ministers to look into closing the legal loopholes allowing the products onto the island after a case against an importer had to be thrown out of court after it was found he was doing nothing illegal.

The sex-toy business in Cyprus has mushroomed recently, with the opening of Nicosia’s first “respectable” sex shop, selling both serious sex aids and party gimmicks, while small ad papers are jam-packed with adverts for items including flavoured condoms, assorted creams and lotions, fuzzy handcuffs, edible underwear and assorted vibrators. All are graphically portrayed and named: they now include an S-300 vibrator. The edible underwear has also been advertised on TV as a suggested “special gift” for Valentine’s Day, while special gift packs are also available.

There is no indication as to when the law might be tightened, but the courts have called for swift action on the issue.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.