The events, including film screenings, lectures and workshops, promoted discussion and facilitated coordination by a variety of stakeholders to combat the problem of human trafficking in Cyprus

Cyprus has become a major destination country for women trafficked for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation. The U.S. Embassy in Nicosia, in collaboration with the Turkish Cypriot Human Rights Foundation (TCHRF) and the British High Commission, organized a three-day event from June 3-5, 2009 entitled “Combating Human Trafficking: Time to Act.” This series of events, including film screenings, lectures and workshops, promoted discussion and facilitated coordination by a variety of stakeholders to combat the problem of human trafficking in Cyprus.

The first of the three events included a screening of Director Ric Esther Bienstock’s Emmy-award winning documentary “Sex Slaves,” which tells the story of several young women trafficked into Turkey. Following the film, the director herself and Political Officer John Rhatigan discussed the issue of sex trafficking as it relates to Cyprus.

The following day, there was a conference at Near East University that included experts from Turkey, Greece and the two main communities in Cyprus. These speakers discussed the issue of trafficking in persons as applied to the local context, as well as best practices in legislation and services for trafficking victims.

In addition to an interview with “Sex Slaves” Director Ric Bienstock on ADA TV, several major newspapers ran articles about the events.

The final day of the program brought together leaders from a variety of NGOs in the region, including Athens, Thessaloniki, Istanbul and Skopje, for a series of presentations and roundtable discussions on combating sex trafficking. They shared experiences and expertise on key issues, including victim identification, victim services, law enforcement, and asylum, and engaged in an animated discussion on the critical human trafficking situation in Cyprus. These leaders also discussed ways to create sustainable island-wide and regional networks to address human trafficking, a scourge which knows no borders. The “Time to Act” awareness events were widely covered in the Turkish Cypriot media. In addition to an interview with “Sex Slaves” Director Ric Bienstock on ADA TV, several major newspapers ran articles about the events.