Romanian workers protest

THIRTY ROMANIAN workers believed to be victims of trafficking and exploitation yesterday staged a protest at Eleftheria Square in the capital, where they accused the government of abandoning them. The 30 belong to a group of 103 Romanians found living in appalling conditions last month, allegedly under the “control” of a 39-year-old Cypriot man who was accused of selling their services to other employers for pittance. At the time, the authorities pledged to ensure that the alleged victims of exploitation were given all the help available, providing food, accommodation and assistance in finding more work. The 30 protestors yesterday claimed that the state had stopped giving assistance after the Welfare Services gave them each €117. They called on the government to continue providing assistance.

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.