By Martin Hellicar
A SPECIAL Interior Ministry vice committee has so far found no concrete evidence of foreign artistes being forced into prostitution in cabarets, pubs or other night-spots.
“No measures have yet been decided to combat vice in cabarets and pubs because we do not as yet know whether it goes on,” the chairman of the vice committee, Interior Ministry director Thanos Michail, told the House ad-hoc crime committee yesterday.
Deputies, discussing one of the committee’s pet topics, were again unanimous in condemning cabarets — in particular — and pubs and other night-spots as dens of iniquity.
Michail did not dispute this, adding that it was the aim of the vice committee to protect foreign artistes from abuse by unscrupulous club and pub owners. He pointed out that his committee had not yet completed its investigation (a final report would be ready by June 15) but added that the government was powerless to stop vice.
“If our committee recommended the closure of cabarets, what would happen? Would artistes not still come and get work in massage parlours or come as tourists and then sell themselves?” Michail asked.
Deputies agreed closing cabarets was not a solution. In fact, Disy deputy Rikos Erotokritou challenged deputy police chief Andreas Stephanou on the issue, saying he had seen him on television stating police would close down all cabarets soon.
“Tell us now, without television and radio, if you want to close them down, ” Erotokritou said, apparently oblivious of the fact that three TV cameras and a dozen journalists were looking on.
“No, we don’t,” was the deputy police chief’s brief reply.
Michail said possible ways to control vice in the island’s 75 cabarets, 69 music/dance houses and 289 pubs were to post police look-out men in every single one or to ensure that no one with a criminal record was granted a licence to run a night-spot.
“Some say we should restrict the number of artistes at each cabaret, but wouldn’t that just mean each artiste had to go with more customers?” Michail asked.
At the moment, each cabaret is entitled to hire 21 artistes and each pub one foreign barmaid. A total of 1,065 artistes are insured to work on the island, the committee heard.
Akel deputy Aristophanis Georgiou said the House had warned the government of the seedy goings-on in local night-spots years ago, but nothing appeared to have been done.
Deputies called for police and the ministry to turn their attention on night-spot owners, on the agents who brought artistes into the country, and on the corrupt officials and police officers turning a blind eye to it all.
“All of the 15 agents bringing in foreign artistes have criminal records,” Georgiou claimed.
Akel deputy Takis Hadjigeorgiou challenged Stephanou to explain how “hundreds” of so-called tourists were allowed into the country “to work as prostitutes.” Georgiou said tourists on the game were even invading pubs in Dhali village.
