Migrant workers face almost three times higher risk of being subjected to forced labour compared with non-migrant workers, according to International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates cited during a roundtable discussion in Nicosia on Thursday, highlighting the need for stronger prevention mechanisms, better access to information and effective protection of labour rights.
The discussion, entitled ‘From Barriers to Bridges: Advancing Fair Employment for Migrant Communities in Cyprus’, was held at the Journalists’ House in Nicosia on the occasion of World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, within the framework of the HOST Project – ‘Tackling Human Trafficking in the Hospitality Sector’, implemented by Step Up Stop Slavery with EU funding and the support of the Ministry of Justice and Public Order and the European Commission Representation in Cyprus.
Representatives of state authorities, migrant communities, trade unions, civil society organisations, labour inspectors, law enforcement authorities and hospitality sector employers discussed labour exploitation risks and the need for closer cooperation to protect migrant workers.
Speaking online at the event, Head of the Human Rights Department at the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), Susan Kerr, stressed that labour exploitation often remains hidden.
‘Labour exploitation is often hidden in plain sight,’ she said, noting that it can occur ‘behind the doors of hotels and restaurants, in recruitment agencies, in subcontracting chains and in workplaces many of us encounter every day’.
Kerr said labour exploitation for trafficking purposes has become the most widespread form of human trafficking identified in OSCE participating States, accounting for almost one third of all recognised trafficking victims.
Referring to ILO figures, she said around 28 million people worldwide are trapped in forced labour, adding that migrant workers face increased risks due to language barriers, limited access to information and dependence on employers or recruitment agencies.
‘The International Labour Organization estimates that migrant workers are almost three times more likely than non-migrant workers to experience forced labour,’ she said.
At the same time, Kerr stressed that migration itself should not be associated with vulnerability.
She added that exploitation often begins with practices such as unpaid wages, excessive working hours, misleading recruitment procedures or restrictions on freedom of movement.
Kerr also highlighted the importance of National Referral Mechanisms in identifying victims and ensuring access to support.
‘Identification is not the finish line. It is the starting point,’ she said.
Opening the discussion, Step Up Stop Slavery Director Katerina Stephanou described the HOST Project as an EU initiative aimed at strengthening cooperation with the hospitality sector to address human trafficking.
She said that during the first year of the project, more than 400 municipal employees, over 300 hospitality workers and more than 500 migrant workers were trained on identifying trafficking cases, labour rights and available support mechanisms.
Meanwhile, Information and Communications Officer at the European Commission Representation in Cyprus, Alexis Pantelides, said trafficking in human beings remained ‘a serious and constantly evolving crime’ in the EU, with around 10,000 officially recorded victims every year.
He noted that labour exploitation accounts for 36% of recognised trafficking cases in the EU, while in Cyprus foreign nationals represent almost 40% of the workforce in the hospitality sector, compared with around 9% across the economy.
For his part, Representative of the National Coordinator for Combating Trafficking in Persons at the Ministry of Justice and Public Order, Andreas Hadjigeorgiou, said the hospitality and tourism sectors are important pillars of the Cypriot economy, but increased labour demand requires safe and fair working conditions.
He noted that third-country nationals may face increased vulnerability due to unclear recruitment practices, language barriers and limited information about their rights.
During the second panel of the discussion, focusing on support networks, access to labour institutions and legal representation for migrant workers in Cyprus, lawyer Eleni Charalambous said the main challenge was not the absence of legislation, but its effective implementation.
‘The problem is not so much the legal framework as its practical application,’ she said, adding that workers should be able to seek support ‘not only when a case develops into trafficking in persons, but from the early stages of labour exploitation’.
She also referred to challenges faced by asylum seekers, noting that confusion regarding their right to work can leave some people without the ability to legally work for extended periods.
Furthermore, Secretary of the SEK Hotel Employees Union, Panayiotis Ioannidis, called for stronger tools to ensure workers have access to information and support.
‘For us there are no migrant, European or Cypriot workers. Collective agreements concern everyone. Labour legislation concerns everyone,’ he said.
Ioannidis also raised concerns over staff leasing companies and subcontracting chains in the hospitality sector, describing them as a major challenge for workers’ protection.
Similarly, General Secretary of the PEO Hotel Workers’ Union, Neofytos Ttiminis, stressed that migrant workers should enjoy the same protection and rights as all other workers.
‘For us, fair employment is not a theoretical concept. It is a matter of class solidarity and equality before the law,’ he said, adding that migrant workers are ‘an equal part of the working class’.
He stressed that collective agreements remain a key tool against exploitation, while calling for further regulation of sectors such as digital delivery platforms.