Social welfare services were called to help 53 cases of human trafficking in the first half of 2024, amid efforts to improve support to victims, it emerged on Friday.
According to figures obtained by the Cyprus News Agency (CAN), in the same time period until end of July, there were seven trafficking victims taken to a shelter under the wing of the social services.
In 2022, the social services were called to support 147 victim referrals, and 149 by October 2023.
Deputy chief of the service Eftychios Hadjichristodoulou told CNA that human trafficking matters have now fallen under the wing of the deputy ministry of migration, however the social services are the first responders in case of any suspicions over a potential trafficking victim.
A special unit has been setup within the service for almost a year, which has “achieved significant improvement in immediately responding to referrals.
“There has been a drop in how long it takes to examine applications and offer support measures to trafficking victims.”
Hadjichristodoulou said procedures have been put in place on how to handle trafficking cases, which include identifying, referring, offering support measures and repatriations.
