COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS CARRIES ON WITH REVIEW OF REPORT OF CYPRUS

MORNING
HR/ESC/98/29
19 November 1998


Efforts to Protect Illegitimate Children and Prevent
Sexual Exploitation are Discussed, Along with
Women's Rights and Family-Related Legislation


The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights continued this morning its consideration of a third periodic report from Cyprus, asking, among other things, about reports that children born out of wedlock faced discrimination and repeating concerns that foreign prostitutes and cabaret workers suffered sexual exploitation and had difficulties seeking protection from authorities.

Other questions dealt with conditions of child domestic workers, training in human rights, and how the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights was used to influence legislation and Government policy.

Cypriot Government representatives said that a law had been passed prohibiting discrimination against illegitimate children, that it was being vigorously enforced, and that under its terms victims of discrimination could file complaints in the courts; and that a law now under development to protect "vulnerable populations" and prevent sexual exploitation should give greater security and recourse to prostitutes and cabaret workers. They said that the Covenant and other international human-rights instruments had led to numerous laws, including measures dealing with maternity protection, child rights, and equal pay; and that programmes in human-rights education were given to police, the military, schoolchildren, and others. They denied that child labour existed, either for foreign or domestic children.

As one of 137 States parties to the Covenant, Cyprus must provide periodic reports to the Committee on efforts to put the treaty into effect.

Members of the Cypriot delegation were Petros Eftychiou, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Cyprus to the United Nations Office at Geneva; Eleni Loizidou, Counsel of the Republic of Cyprus; Loulla Theodorou, Director of Social and Welfare Services of the Ministry of Labour and Social Issues; and Tryphon Pneumaticos, Chief Education Officer of the Department of Higher and Tertiary Education.

Speaking at the meeting were Committee members Eibe Reidel; Ade Adekuoye; Virginia Bonoan-Dandan; Maria de los Angeles Jimenez Butragueno; Javier Wimer Zambrano; Walid M. Sa’di; Nutan Thapalia; and Valeri I. Kouznetsov.

The Committee will reconvene at 3 p.m. to conclude its consideration of the Cypriot report.

Discussion

Questions and answers fell under the general headings of the Covenant dealing with equality between women and men; family conditions; living standards; and health.

Committee members asked, among other things, if there were programmes to train police, judicial, and other officials in international human-rights standards; if the Covenant was taken into account in formulation of Government policies; how effectively laws relating economic, social and cultural rights were implemented; if discriminatory attitudes persisted against children born out of wedlock, despite legislation prohibiting it; if there were problems, as reported by other sources, of prostitution involving foreign children, and cases of abuse involving child domestic servants; if nutrition was sufficient, especially for low-income residents; if there were protections against arbitrary evictions; what was being done about the country's reported problem with obesity; and if it seemed possible to change dietary styles among the population.

ELENI LOIZIDOU, Counsel of the Republic of Cyprus, said, among other things, that the Law Commissioner of the Republic had expressed support for an optional protocol to the Covenant but felt that more States would ratify such a protocol if they could opt out of certain provisions, although he also felt that the number of reservations should be limited; that the structure of Cyprus's National Institution of Human Rights had been set by the decision of the Council of Ministers, which had determined that it should have the two committees already described; that there was training for Government officials, including the police and military, in human rights; and that human-rights education was carried out extensively in schools.

Ms. Loizidou added that the Government had enacted legislation taking the Covenant into account, including laws dealing with maternity protection, equal pay, the press, and children born out of wedlock; that it was not known if any cases had been brought to the court directly invoking the Covenant, but that investigation by the committee preparing the report had not found any to date; that the ombudsman had fielded a complaint invoking the Covenant which had been upheld by the relevant administrative committee; that the President of the Republic had stated last night that it was the Government's policy to appoint women to the Cabinet, and that a woman had been proposed for the now-vacant ombudsmen's post; that the law relating to aliens and immigration had been enacted in 1952, before Cyprus became an independent nation, and the law contained provisions connected to the colonial regime of the time; that one section of the law stated that no foreigner had a right of entry, and that some immigrants were prohibited, including destitute persons, persons unable to care for themselves, persons formerly imprisoned for crimes such as murder, prostitutes, persons medically certified as suffering from serious contagious diseases -- although that provision was not applied, and instead persons who were ill received treatment, including persons infected with AIDS; and that this law was at the moment being examined by a committee with the aim of amending it within six months.

Ms. Loizidou continued to state that possible reluctance of prostitutes and others to press charges against employers should be eased by a law now under consideration on protection of vulnerable populations and prohibition of sexual exploitation; that homosexual acts were no longer a crime as long as they occurred between two consenting adults; that in cases involving organized crime, victims of sexual exploitation often did not wish to give evidence or press charges, and instead were allowed to leave the country as they often wished; that the law prohibiting discrimination against children born out of wedlock was meant to be invoked, and persons who felt they suffered from such discrimination could bring cases in court; and that administration for registration and recognition of children born out of wedlock had been amended to make the process less complicated.

In conclusion, Ms. Loizidou said that foreign children were not allowed to enter Cyprus and work there, and that police had never come across cases of child prostitution involving non-Cypriot children; that reports and complaints of domestic violence or abuse of children were investigated thoroughly and all necessary action, including filing of charges if warranted in criminal court, was taken; that extensive Government programmes aimed to provide support to the elderly; that over the past several years separate pay scales for women and men had been eliminated in several sectors and that gaps between rates of pay between the sexes had narrowed; that social insurance legislation made no distinction between foreign workers and nationals; that employment of any child under age 15 was prohibited, with no exceptions, and that education through age 15 was compulsory; and that child labour was non-existent in Cyprus.

PETROS EFTYCHIOU, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Cyprus to the United Nations Office at Geneva, said, among other things, that a child could only enter Cyprus in the company of a parent, unless he entered illegally, and that was not possible, as the country was an island; he did not agree with the assertion in a report referred to by the Committee that there were foreign children in the country who were illegally employed or used for prostitution; also, the country was very small and any appearance of foreign children would be noted; it was true that occasionally illegal immigrants came by boat, but their presence did not remain unnoticed.