Nicosia: Cyprus is among the EU states where presumed and identified victims of human trafficking are recorded distinctly and separately, according to a study by the EU Anti-Trafficking Hub, which was published on Tuesday.
According to Cyprus News Agency, the study examines current challenges, good practices, and opportunities to further strengthen the collection of statistics on human trafficking across the EU. In the case of Cyprus, the study titled "On the Collection and Improvements of EU Statistics on Trafficking in Human Beings" states that the Police Anti-Trafficking Unit is the competent body for the official identification of victims. The same unit holds the full official statistics for both identified and presumed victims.
The report also stresses that referrals of presumed victims to the Police may be made from various sources, including the Social Welfare Services, the Labour Office, civil society organisations, and individual reports through the helpline. At the same time, Cyprus is among the member states that apply the Commission and Eurostat definition of officially identified victims. It is also among the member states that apply the definition of a presumed victim.
Cyprus is also ranked among the eight states where a government body coordinates data collection and provides the statistics to Eurostat. According to the report, Cyprus records the actual age of victims, unlike member states that use only age groups or distinguish only between minors and adults. Cyprus is also among the member states that record victims' nationality and among those that report the country of origin.
In relation to criminal justice data, the report states that Cyprus is among the 14 Member States that break down prosecutorial decisions by outcome. It is also underlined that Cyprus is among the 20 member states that have a legal basis for collecting and providing data, at least for the main bodies.