owners of cabarets in Cyprus are angry. They manifest themselves in the streets of Nicosia, blocking main roads in the capital and causing several skirmishes. In case the decision of the Minister of Interior, Neoklis Sylikiotis, to put an end to the allocation of visas to women artists in cabarets on the island.
The multiple pressures the European Union on the only member country to provide this kind of legal visas and those of the President of the communist island to power last year, Dimitris Christofias, have borne fruit. It is "the end of an era" for Giorgos Giorgalis, first secretary of the Interior Ministry in charge of the case "before any foreign woman, aged 18 and over could be considered an" artist "in Cyprus . Now the government requires the justification of this quality. We ask for qualifications and experience in the profession as a dancer. Then, according to the criminal record of the owner of the cabaret, we grant a residence permit. " Trafficking in women is a scourge for the island of Aphrodite. And for good reason, Cyprus is a hub of trafficking of women. "Due to its geographical location, Cyprus is between East and West," says Rita Superman, head of the of the Cyprus Police "The problem is that most arrive via Turkey and the Near East and land in Cyprus, from the north of the island occupied by the Turkish army since 1974. " The north of Cyprus is not recognized by the international community, de facto it is a zone of lawlessness. With this new wave, some tavern owners are themselves smugglers and so far, quite legally. "More than 4 000 cabarets and similar activities are active in the island," says Elena Pissarides, member of the NGO Stigma to assist women victims of trafficking. Impossible for the Department to agree on the exact figure of those places, but one thing is certain, the situation is "very disturbing" echoes Elena Pissarides "These women are completely confused. These cabarets their promise of a dancer, but in fact they demand something other than dancing on stage. It's pure sex. Most of them are very young, less than 19 years. The end of the visa is good, but nothing tells us that the woman will stop traffic. " 200 million per day This reform is a disaster for tavern owners, who see it as a significant financial loss, some, according to official figures, could earn up to 200 million euros per day. For the secretary general of the association of owners of cabaret, Dinos Ioannou "No cabaret artist presents qualifications and experience to be hired. You should go to the Lido or Moulin Rouge, but not in Cyprus for this! "Despite their mobilization and pressure, the government has decided to stand firm on its position. For once, the entire political class agrees on this issue.
