North Cyprus tagged human trafficking hub

The northern part of Cyprus has been tagged a human trafficking hub as numerous number of refugees are smuggled into the island by human traffickers on a daily basis.

According to a report by local daily, Kibris Postais, the number of Syrian refugees smuggled into Northern Cyprus by human traffickers is increasing daily.

The report adds that many of the refugees are coming from refugee camps in Turkey in a bid to find better living conditions and to find their families in Southern Cyprus.  

These vulnerable people have lost thousands of dollars, after being given false promises by the traffickers that they will be taken to the south.

Tens of thousands of irregular migrants have been put to sea in unseaworthy vessels from Mersin in the hope of reaching the south. Meanwhile, North Cyprus is virtually turning into a base for people trafficking between Turkey and the south, Kibris Postasi writes.

Human traffickers meet the refugees when they land in the North and take them to the borders near the South.

No Asylum Agreement With North Cyprus

If detected by the police, these refugees are arrested for illegally entering the country and eventually returned to Turkey, Legal Advisor to the Refugee Rights Programme, Lawyer Denizaltıok said. 

Nothing can be done for these people because there is no asylum mechanism in the country. Since there is no Refugee and Asylum Law, people who have escaped from desperate conditions fall prey to human traffickers only to experience worse.

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