Commissioner for the Protection of Children’s Rights, Despo Michaelidou, has demanded explanations regarding a child abuse case recently uncovered in Larnaca, where five children were reportedly subjected to years of abuse by their parents.

Michaelidou sent letters to the social services, the education ministry and the police and, depending on the answers she receives, she will make observations and recommendations.

Among her queries, the commissioner has asked how frequently and for how long social workers visited the family’s home, whether the children were interviewed without their parents present, whether investigations went beyond assessing their living conditions, and whether school visits were conducted or contact made with teachers regarding the children’s behaviour.

From the police, she has requested details about the process of collecting testimonies and the manner in which these were obtained.

She has also asked the education ministry whether the school community had any interactions with the parents, if social services had visited the children’s schools and whether there had been any indications of abuse.

Michaelidou stressed that failure to respond to her questions constitutes a criminal offence, and that answers are expected within a reasonable timeframe, she told the Cyprus News Agency.

The commissioner said that a 2018 report by her predecessor had already highlighted several concerns about how social services were operating, along with recommendations to address these issues.

“For many of those things, nothing has been done. We cannot allow the situation to develop in this way,” she said.

She referred to understaffing, the absence of specialists, difficulties in determining the child’s interests, and the need for better coordination, to update legislation and rethink procedures.

Referring to the specific abuse case, Michaelidou said that if the community, relatives or anyone else had reported the case to the police or the commissioner’s office, “there would have been preventive monitoring” of the situation.

She stressed that for a child to come forward, a stable and trusted reference point is needed. She also underlined the importance of monitoring the work of social workers who handle such sensitive cases.

Two individuals, a 48-year-old man and a 41-year-old woman, were referred on Friday for trial before the Larnaca criminal court, which will convene on May 5, as suspects in a case involving the abuse of the family’s five children over the course of a few years.

The case came to light when one of the underage girls confided in school staff about the abuse.

The five children – four girls and one boy aged between 7 and 23 – were subjected to physical abuse, forced labour, and in some cases, sexual abuse. The two eldest are now adults. The accused man is the stepfather of the children.

According to sources, the eldest daughter reported being sexually abused by her stepfather for around ten years, with her mother’s knowledge.

After the report was filed with the Larnaca police’s domestic violence unit, both the 48-year-old man and the 41-year-old woman were arrested.

The man is also accused of forcing four of the children to work in fields and farms for four years, with some of the children stating that he beat them. The mother has also been implicated in the abuse.

The youngest child, a girl, is reported to have suffered psychological violence.

If found guilty, the parents face lengthy prison sentences. Both will remain in custody until their trial begins on May 5.