THE UN Committee for the elimination of racial discrimination is concerned over the lack of legal provisions outlawing racial discrimination in Cyprus and said those that were in place were not being implemented.
In its concluding remarks released yesterday, the Committee said that while Cyprus had enacted a number of criminal law provisions in the field of racial discrimination, and had amended them in line with previous recommendations, “there is still little evidence that these criminal provisions are being used”, the report said.
While it welcomes certain measures taken to cut down on incidences of racial discrimination, such as the setting up of a complaints office for foreign workers at the Labour Ministry, the report said a lot more could be done.
“The Committee expresses its concern at the lack of legal provisions expressly outlawing racial discrimination by private persons in education and employment and recommends that the state party give attention to the development of such legislation,” the report adds.
It also said the Committee was concerned at the lack of a comprehensive immigration policy aimed at regulating the entry and stay of immigrants as well as their employment rights.
Cyprus must also take steps to increase awareness of the convention among the general public, in particular foreign domestic workers, members of the police and the judiciary.
Another recommendation includes taking measures in the fields of education and culture to help combat discrimination.
Elsewhere, the report focuses on the island’s division and the difficulties experienced in trying to organise bicommunal activities, and also reaffirms the importance of putting an end to the Turkish occupation.
Last month, the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) of the Council of Europe (CoE) referred to racism, discrimination and xenophobia in Cyprus and expressed its concern over the use of excessive force by police against illegal immigrants.
Concern was also expressed at reports of discriminatory checks by immigration officers of non-whites coming into Cyprus and the lengthy detention periods for illegal immigrants.
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.
