The Minister of Justice and Public Order, Mrs Stefi Drakou, the Minister of Labour and Social Insurance, Mr Kyriakos I. Kousios and the Deputy Minister of Social Welfare, Mrs Anastasia Anthousi, signed today a framework of Memoranda of Cooperation. The aim of the Memoranda of Cooperation is primarily to institutionalise and further strengthen cooperation between the services of the three Ministries, aimed at preventing and combating trafficking in persons and protecting and supporting victims of trafficking in persons.
The framework includes two memoranda:
1) Memorandum of Cooperation between the Cyprus Police and the Inspectorate for the prevention and combating of trafficking in persons in the field of labour exploitation, signed today between the Ministers of Justice At the same time, it complements and reinforces the ongoing effort, which has resulted in:
- 9 convictions in the last 18 months. Thanks were given by the Chief of Police to the Legal Service and the General Prosecutor's Office for the speedy adjudication of the cases and the excellent cooperation.
- Upgrade of Cyprus to Category 1 by the US Department of State to combat this phenomenon in 2022.
In their statements to media representatives, the three Ministers stressed the need for interdepartmental coordination and cooperation in order to manage more effectively the incidents of exploitation and trafficking in persons.
Specifically, speaking after the signing of the Memorandum, Ms. Drakou thanked her fellow Ministers, the Chief of Police and the officials who worked to enable the preparation and signing of the framework. At the same time she noted. While at the same time, we upgraded Cyprus to Category 1 by the US State Department to combat this phenomenon.
I assure you that our constant and unwavering goal is the eradication of trafficking, this extreme form of exploitation and instrumentalization of victims that violates fundamental human rights, values and our culture."
For his part, Mr Kousios:
"We are sending a strong message of zero tolerance to a serious form of crime such as trafficking in persons. And this can only be achieved through a coordinated approach. "
In turn, Ms Anthoussi noted:
"As the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare, we stand by the victims, offering them information, as well as psychological support and medical care services, assistance with housing, employment and social reintegration.
For the record, for the year 2022, the Social Welfare Services of the Ministry of State were called and assisted in 123 reports and handled potential victims of trafficking, offering individualized support as needed."
(MX/IC)
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