Reports of trafficking in persons for purposes of forced labour of migrant workers on a citrus farm in Morphou are alarming, UN experts* said today.

“Exploitative recruitment and employment practices are reportedly large scale and systematic, potentially affecting over 600 workers,” the experts said.

Migrant workers were reportedly deceived by intermediaries in countries of origin acting on behalf of Cypfruvex, a state-owned citrus company. Workers were brought to the island on the promise of work in the Republic of Cyprus and elsewhere in the European Union but instead were brought to the northern part of Cyprus. Once they arrived, Cypfruvex officials took the workers’ passports, placed them in labour camps and forced them to work seven days a week…

“We received information that these workers were subjected to threats, coercion, and violence by company-controlled intermediaries who engaged in direct acts of violence, and by company officials who used their influence to make public threats,” the experts said….

Despite complaints by the workers, there has been a lack of accountability and investigations by Turkish Cypriot authorities, and the lack of legal aid has prevented their cases from progressing…