Foreign workers are almost three times more likely to be subjected to forced labour than Cypriots, while accounting for around 9 per cent of Cyprus’ workforce, figures presented at an event marking World Day Against Human Trafficking showed on Thursday.

Speaking at the event in Nicosia, head of the Step Up Stop Slavery initiative Katerina Stefanou said Cyprus “already has legislation and mechanisms to combat human trafficking”, but stressed that their effectiveness depended on cooperation between all relevant stakeholders.

She said the Host project had trained more than 400 municipal employees, over 300 hospitality workers and more than 500 migrant workers to identify trafficking cases, understand labour rights and access available support mechanisms.

European Commission Representation in Cyprus official Alexis Pantelidis described human trafficking as “a serious and constantly evolving crime” across the European Union.

He said official figures record around 10,000 victims each year, although the true number is believed to be significantly higher because many cases go unreported.

Pantelidis added that labour exploitation now accounts for 36 per cent of recognised trafficking cases in the EU. In Cyprus, foreign workers make up almost 40 per cent of the hospitality workforce, compared with around 9 per cent of the labour force overall.

Justice ministry representative Andreas Hatzigeorgiou stressed that the hospitality and tourism sector was an important pillar of the Cypriot economy, emphasising that the increased need for labour created the need to ensure safe and fair employment conditions.

He said workers from third countries could face greater risks of exploitation due to unclear recruitment practices, language barriers, limited knowledge of their rights and dependence on individual employers.

“Human trafficking for the purpose of labour exploitation is a flagrant violation of fundamental human rights and an affront to human dignity,” he said, adding that “economic development cannot be built at the expense of the protection and rights of workers.”

In an online address, Susan Kerr, head of the Human Rights Department at the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), said cooperation between governments, civil society, migrant communities and the private sector was essential to preventing exploitation.

“Migrant workers are not the problem here,” she said.

Referring to the OSCE 2026 review report on the Implementation of Commitments to Combat Human Trafficking, she said that trafficking for the purpose of labour exploitation “is not only increasing, but has become the most widespread form of human trafficking,  accounting for almost a third of all identified victims.”

“The real vulnerability lies not in migration, but in the conditions and protection gaps that persist in our systems and that can leave migrant workers exposed to greater risk of exploitation,” Kerr added.

Citing International Labour Organisation figures, Kerr said around 28 million people worldwide are trapped in forced labour.

She described the National Reporting Mechanisms as necessary coordination tools for the cooperation between authorities and the provision of support, stressing that “identification is not the finish line. It is the starting point.”

She stressed that identifying victims was only the first step and said support should include legal assistance, social services, healthcare, psychological support and long-term rehabilitation.

Kerr also called for survivors of human trafficking and migrant community organisations to play a greater role in shaping policies and initiatives.

“Survivors are not just recipients of protection and assistance. They are experts,” she said.