More than 400 women working as prostitutes in North Cyprus night clubs especially Moldavian and Ukrainians

It has been reported that there are about 400 women who are working as sex workers including performing and dancing in nightclubs in the TRNC.

According to the report by Turkish Cypriot daily, Havadis, these women are in the country illegally and are being exploited by their bosses.

Existing legislation in the TRNC prevents women working in nightclubs from sex work. Although everyone knows about this but the state that receives tax does not have influence over this as passports belonging to these women coming to the island are taken and health checks made and marketed.

The introduction of new nightclubs in the TRNC were banned in 2009 but these more than 400 sex workers came into the country under the name of consort and engaged in sex work which is illegal.

These more than 400 women work in 35 night clubs in the country and go for regular medical check ups at the hospital every week with an average of 80 to 85 women examined daily.

The recent death of a 26-year-old Belarusian woman, VolhaViarbouskaya in a night club in Alayköy, has brought the issue to the fore.

Volha Viarbouskaya, was found unconscious by a waiter in the bedroom at 11.30pm on the top floor of the club with an unidentified male in the nightclub on Saturday. She was lifted to the hospital by ambulance but died minutes later.

According to Human Rights activists and lawyers, human trafficking are being perpetuated by these night clubs.

Lawyers and Human Rights activists have called for every section of society to be made aware of human trafficking, and that the state should apply more pressures why urgent measures should be taken on this issue.

Nightclubs have been legalized in the country under the "Law on Nightclubs and Similar Entertainment Places" number 7/2000 which is the legal point for the nightclubs.

According to the legislation, night clubs can have at least five and at most 12 consortium, while pub type entertainment places can have at least one and at most three consortium.

According to figures obtained by the end of 2016, Moldavian had the highest number of consortium in the TRNC. This is followed by Ukrainians, Moroccans and then Russians and this has not changed significantly in 2017.

In the past, it was recorded that between 1997-2002, 3,927 consortium were working in the TRNC while the statistics revealed that the largest number of these came to the TRNC in 1999.