Nicosia:Cyprus has established a comprehensive National Referral Mechanism for Victims of Trafficking in Human Beings, supported by legislative and administrative measures, as highlighted in a report from the EU Anti-Trafficking Hub.

According to Cyprus News Agency, the report, commissioned by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, points out that Cyprus is one of eight EU Member States with a designated national contact point for cross-border referrals of trafficking victims.

The report indicates that Cyprus is in the process of revising its national legal and procedural framework to combat human trafficking. Key areas of focus include early victim identification, defining responsibilities among involved authorities and organizations, child protection, updating guidelines, and enhancing inter-service cooperation.

Standardized procedures, regular communication, and coordinated management of individual cases are noted as strengths of Cyprus' referral mechanism. Nonetheless, challenges such as differing responsibilities, operational priorities, and capacity limitations of the involved parties remain.

The report also emphasizes the importance of ongoing training for frontline personnel, consistent referral procedure implementation across sectors, and managing a growing number of cases with limited resources.