Kudos for Cypriot Superman’s anti-trafficking efforts (Updated)

Rita Superman, head of the Cyprus police’s Anti-Trafficking Unit, receives an award from US Secretary of State John Kerry during a ceremony held in Washington DC on Thursday. She was among nine men and women from around the globe honoured in the ‘The Trafficking in Persons 2016 Hero’ ceremony.

Superman thanked the Secretary and the US State Department on behalf of all her fellow 2016 TIP Heroes — from The Bahamas, Botswana, Mauritania, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Senegal and Hungary.

Highlighting the suffering of victims and the threats they face even after successful conviction of traffickers, Superman called for action. “We can all do more,” she told the audience at the State Department ceremony.

Superman’s dedication, together with her colleagues` at the Cyprus Police and across line ministries, has also meant Cyprus being moved to the highest Tier 1 status in recognition of the government of Cyprus’ efforts to combat human trafficking, a press release said.

According to the US Department of State web page, “as required by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, the TIP Report assesses government efforts around the world to combat human trafficking. This year’s report, the 16th installment, includes narratives for 188 countries and territories, including the United States”.

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.