The Council of Europe's anti-trafficking monitoring body has warned that migrant laborers in the Mediterranean island of Cyprus face low wages and high risks of exploitation. Many work far below minimum wage under poor conditions, the rights agency has found.
Migrant workers in Cyprus are at significant risk of exploitation and human trafficking due to poor pay, excessive working hours, and limited legal protections, according to a new report by a European human rights watchdog.
The Council of Europe's anti-trafficking monitoring body, GRETA (Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings), released a five-yearly assessment on Monday (April 28), highlighting the stark disparities in treatment between migrant workers and Cypriot or EU workers on the island.
Read AlsoUK to restrict overseas care worker recruitment amid exploitation concerns
Asian migrant workers exploited for domestic work
Cyprus, which has a population of around 930,000 in its southern government-controlled region, employs over 20,000 domestic workers. The workers come primarily from the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Vietnam. Despite their integral role in Cypriot households, many earn far below the national minimum wage and work under poor conditions that breach their contracts.
The report references findings from the Cyprus Ombudsman’s office showing that in some cases, domestic workers were paid as little as 1.29 euros per hour and worked an average of 58 hours weekly -- well beyond the 42-hour limit stated in their employment agreements.
Under current legislation, the gross monthly salary for domestic workers is set at 460 euros, but this figure is reduced further by deductions for food and housing, which can consume up to a quarter of their pay. In contrast, other workers in Cyprus are entitled to a minimum starting salary of 1,000 euros per month.
GRETA’s report calls on Cypriot authorities to implement stronger protections for migrant laborers, including equal pay and access to the same rights afforded to local and EU workers. It also calls for improved efforts to identify victims of exploitation and ensure access to legal aid and better working conditions.
Though acknowledging legislative progress, the watchdog emphasized the need for more proactive measures to close the protection gap for foreign workers in the country.
With Reuters