Children’s rights commissioner Despo Michaelidou on Thursday sounded the alarm over staff shortages, saying that her department lacked the necessary human resources to deal with complaints quickly.

“Only one officer handles the processing of incoming complaints, resulting in the continued accumulation of complaints and the increase in delays in their examination,” Michaelidou said in a statement.

Although confirming that her department aimed to prioritise serious cases, she warned that severe staff shortages may even cause delay in these cases.

“I assure you that efforts are being made to immediately strengthen human resources, so that proper functioning can be restored as soon as possible”, she said, expressing her regret for her office’s inability to respond appropriately to potential violations of children’s rights.

“The areas of empowering the children themselves, as well as their legal representation in judicial proceedings, will continue as smoothly as possible”, she said, emphasising her office’s commitment to the protection of children’s rights.

The statement comes after several cases involving children’s rights came to light in recent months, including the alleged abuse of five siblings in a Larnaca livestock yard, a case in which a nursery teacher shook a 19-month-old infant and a case on Wednesday in which a baby was admitted to a Limassol private clinic with burns.