PROSECUTION
The government increased law enforcement efforts. Cyprus prohibits all forms of trafficking through Law 60(I) of 2014. Prescribed penalties are up to 20 years’ imprisonment, which are sufficiently stringent and commensurate with those prescribed for other serious crimes.The government investigated 24 new cases involving 35 suspected traffickers during the reporting period, an increase compared with 15 cases involving 33 suspects in 2013. The government initiated prosecutions against 15 defendants, a decrease compared with 22 in 2013. Nine traffickers were convicted under Law 87(I)/2007, Law 60(I)/2014 and other laws, compared with two in 2013. Sentences were significantly more stringent than the previous reporting period. Eight of the convicted traffickers received time in prison ranging from three months to 12 years; one convicted trafficker did not receive any time in prison. One case led to the first conviction for trafficking of a child for sexual exploitation; the two perpetrators, both Cypriots, were sentenced to 12 and 10 years in prison. The government continued to convict traffickers under non-trafficking statutes, leading to lenient sentences for convicted traffickers.
The anti-trafficking police unit provided oversight throughout the course of an investigation; however, the court system’s mistreatment of victim witnesses and lengthy trial procedures resulted in a limited number of convictions.The government did not effectively track trafficking cases as they moved through the judicial system. The government established a mechanism to review labor complaints, and officials forwarded potential forced labor cases to the police and the social welfare department; however, NGOs reported officials rarely treated labor complaints as potential trafficking cases. The government installed new software for the anti-trafficking

police unit to enhance its capacity to record, process, and analyze trafficking-related data. In 2014, the government funded anti- trafficking training for 86 law enforcement officers, as well as a joint training for police and prosecutors to enhance cooperation. NGOs reported allegations of official complicity involving at least two senior officials and one former official who solicited services from a sex trafficking victim.The case was acquitted after the court ruled the victim’s testimony was unreliable. A police immigration official acquitted in 2012 for alleged involvement in a sex trafficking case won his suit against the government contesting his dismissal. He was rehired and placed in charge of the immigration service at Larnaca Airport; NGOs have strongly protested his appointment to such a sensitive position.

PROTECTION
The government increased efforts to protect victims. The government maintained financial resources allocated for victims despite cuts in other social welfare funding. The government identified 46 victims of trafficking in 2014, an increase from 25 in 2013. Of the 46 victims identified, 22 were labor trafficking victims, of which 15 were men and 7 were women. The government identified 19 victims of sex trafficking, including 16 women and three children. Five additional women were victims of both labor and sex trafficking. Most victims of forced labor were referred to the police by NGOs.The majority of sex trafficking victims were identified during police operations. The government referred all identified victims to the social welfare office for assistance. Twenty female victims of sex trafficking were accommodated at the government-operated shelter in Nicosia. These victims were permitted to stay for one month or longer, as appropriate, in the shelter for a reflection period, a time in which victims could recover before deciding whether to cooperate with law enforcement. In previous years, authorities accommodated male sex trafficking victims in hotels paid for by the government; male and female victims of labor trafficking stayed in apartments and received rent subsidies from the government.
Multiple sources reported substantial delays in issuance of monthly allowance checks to some victims, which left victims unable to cover basic needs; some male victims were homeless as a result. Male victims of labor trafficking identified in 2015 did not receive benefits and relied exclusively on NGOs for care. Experts reported Social Welfare Service (SWS) staff in Nicosia exhibited insensitive and sometimes punitive treatment of victims. Victims were sent to unsuitable and exploitative jobs where they were expected to work for more hours than legally permitted and received salaries below the minimum wage. If victims declined a job offer, SWS declared victims voluntarily unemployed and discontinued their benefits. The government spent 184,000 euro ($224,000) to operate the trafficking shelter, compared with 199,136 euro ($242,000) in 2013. The government provided 118,066 euro ($144,000) in public assistance to victims who chose to stay in private apartments and were entitled to a rent subsidy and monthly allowance, compared with 262,000 euro ($319,000) in 2013.Victims had the right to work and were provided a variety of assistance and protection from deportation. They also had eligibility for state vocational and other training programs and the ability to change sectors of employment. A lack of directives on coordination between ministries reportedly led to gaps and delays in services and support provided. The law stipulates victims be repatriated at the completion of legal proceedings, and police conducted a risk assessment for each victim prior to repatriation.Two victims whose safety was assessed to be at risk

were issued residence permits on humanitarian grounds and remained in Cyprus. Authorities extended the work permit of a third victim. Forty-six victims assisted law enforcement in the prosecution of suspected traffickers. There were no reports of victims inappropriately penalized for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being subjected to human trafficking.

PREVENTION
The government maintained prevention efforts.The Multidisciplinary Coordinating Group to combat trafficking coordinated the implementation of the 2013-2015 National Anti-Trafficking Action Plan. NGOs reported cooperation with the coordinating group greatly improved during the reporting period. In 2014, the government investigated seven cases of potential labor exploitation of migrant workers for illegally operating an employment agency and revoked the licenses of two private employment agencies for not complying with regulations. The government reported five ongoing investigations of recruiters and brokers for exploitation of migrant workers.The government continued to print and distribute booklets in seven languages aimed at potential victims on the assistance available to them.The government did not report efforts to reduce the demand for forced labor or commercial sex acts. The Ministry of the Interior provided training to labor inspectors, labor relations officers, social welfare officers, and officials in the Ministry of Health on labor trafficking and the provisions of the new 2014 trafficking law. It also included a segment on trafficking in the curriculum for students aged 15-18 years.The government provided anti-trafficking training or guidance for its diplomatic personnel.