A POLICE SEMINAR on the subject of human trafficking kicked off yesterday at the capital’s Police Academy, with officers being given training and advice on the problem.
The police press office yesterday told the Mail that, “CID departments, immigration authorities, vice squads and the crime prevention unit will all be attending a series of lectures by criminologists, psychologists, the Social Services and other experts. Issues to be discussed over the two-week event include the understanding of current laws and regulations, intelligence gathering and operations.”
Attendees will also be educated on how to handle victims and the provision of support and protection.
Justice Minister Sophoclis Sophocleous yesterday spoke of his determination to eliminate the trafficking of women.
He said that in Cyprus there were currently 1,200 artistes, 20 agents and 120 cabarets. “You can draw your own conclusions,” he said.
Talking after yesterday’s House Finance Committee meeting, where the Justice Ministry’s annual budget was discussed, Sophocleous said there were two matters that needed to be cleared out: prostitution and the exploitation of women.
“Definitely, this state needs to take measures that at the end of the day will limit, if not eliminate, the exploitation of women – which is an insult to our society and ethos,” the minister said.
The police will continue carrying out strict checks on nightspots and cabarets, which the minister said “are definitely not churches”.
“We need to separate prostitution from the trafficking of women. Symbolically, the red light may be immoral but it is legal. The exploitation of women is the worst,” said Sophocleous.
The House Human Rights Committee last week discussed the state’s action plan for human trafficking and sexual exploitation of minors, focusing on the human rights of foreign workers – male and female – who are sold for sex in cabarets and nightspots.
A police spokesman at the Committee claimed that the majority of women who work in cabarets in Cyprus were victims of sexual exploitation, who arrive on the island unaware of their new profession’s real duties.
But one cabaret regular, who spoke to the Mail yesterday, cast doubt on such claims.
“I have met women who have been coming and going between Cyprus and Ukraine for years now and they are far from unaware of what the situation is.
“Sure, there must be some cases of exploitation, but the women I have met come here for six months at a time, of their own free will, in order to make as much money as possible, and believe me, they make good money. They wear expensive designer clothes and have the latest mobile phones and are free to move around visiting customers during afternoons, without any interference from pimps.”
