This report is the outcome of research on human trafficking in Cyprus that took place in 2021-2022.1 It seeks to describe the forms of human trafficking that exist on the island and identify the victims and perpetrators of this crime. It provides evidence that human trafficking for sexual exploitation and labour exploitation purposes is widespread on both sides of the UN-controlled buffer zone. It concludes that while the crime is perpetrated everywhere in the world, the existence of the buffer zone, which signifies the perpetuation of the frozen conflict in Cyprus, exacerbates both the phenomenon and its negative outcomes.

Cyprus is an island in the Mediterranean that is de facto divided in two, between the internationally recognised Republic of Cyprus (RoC) and the non-internationally recognised Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). The de jure and de facto Cypriot states do not recognise or cooperate with each other and have entirely different laws and institutions. They are separated by the so-called Green Line, or buffer zone, a 180 km-long line, policed by the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP). The Green Line divides the Greek Cypriots, the majority of whom live in the RoC (in the south of the island) from Turkish Cypriots, most of whom live in the TRNC (in the north). It is semi-permeable in that there are nine checkpoints that individuals can use to cross from one side to the other. At the same