THE STATE has abandoned the 140-odd Romanian trafficking victims that were rescued from their employer last month, leaving some to find shelter on the streets, charged migrant support group KISA yesterday.
From the140, the majority have been left to their own devices while only 20, designated as state witnesses, are considered in need of protection. In practice, this means that the 20 state witnesses, with a €117 handout, have been left to find housing and food until their applications for state benefits are processed.
A KISA announcement highlighted a provision in the law which fails to protect victims of trafficking, allowing the Romanian victims of labour exploitation and trafficking to become victims once again.
According to KISA, the law provides that only those whose testimonies will be used by police in court are considered trafficking victims and afforded rights to protection and housing, compensation and state benefits. In the case of the Romanians, police will use 20 testimonies, meaning the rest are no longer considered victims of trafficking.
Around 140 to 160 workers were picked up last month in Tseri, after a police investigation led to the arrest of a 39-year-old Cypriot in connection with charges of labour exploitation and trafficking. Police say the Romanian workers were put in horrid living conditions and made to work for pittance with little money even for food.
KISA representative Doros Polycarpou told the Sunday Mail yesterday that the majority of the workers were told to leave the hotel where the authorities had put them in last Wednesday, resulting in a number having to sleep on the streets. On Friday, the 20 workers whose testimonies will be used in court and are considered “victims of trafficking” were also told to leave the hotel.
Polycarpou highlighted that even the 20 recognised victims were not treated much better, as the only difference with the others was that the Welfare Service had given them €117 each for housing and general living costs.
When KISA approached the official shelter for trafficking to house some of the women who were part of the group, the shelter turned them away saying they only accept trafficking victims of sexual exploitation, said Polycarpou.
The NGO also alleged that one of the 20 victims who will testify against their former employer has since been approached by the 39-year-old to return to work for him.
However, the Romanian Embassy in Nicosia yesterday painted a different picture of the state’s handling of the affair. In a released statement, the embassy expressed its “gratitude and thankfulness” for the work carried out by the Labour Ministry to resolve “in the most appropriate manner the extremely difficult situation of the Romanian citizens”.
The embassy noted that the government had offered the workers food and accommodation and even medical care which lead to a general improvement of their condition, while the ministry focused on finding them new jobs and assisting with Greek language courses.
“These actions taken by the Ministry were of an exceptional nature for an exceptional case,” said the announcement. Contradicting statements made by the Justice Minister last month, the embassy also said the Cyprus police was enjoying “good cooperation with their counterparts in Romania”.
