Cypriot Policy on Sexual crime
Cyprus Police operate in multi-leveled ways to prevent all kinds of sexual crime. The main areas of concern is this context are: child sexual abuse, child pornography, prostitution, sexual assault, rape and sexual abuse within the family.
Law 91(I)14 provides for the investigation and conviction relating to offences concerning child sexual abuse as well as trafficking for sexual purposes and child pornography.
The law makes the reporting of child sexual abuse, by any person, mandatory, providing for penalties for not reporting and stricter penalties for persons convicted of child sexual abuse.
For the purposes of this law, the age of consent is specified to be 17, and all statements by victims / witnesses of such crimes have to be videotaped.
The police maintains a registry of people who have been convicted of sexual crimes against children. Each person convicted of such a crime, after his / her release from prison, has to report any change of address, at the Central Police Station of his / her District.
All employers, whose enterprise involves providing services to children, are by law required to ask from prospective employees, for a police certificate stating that they are not included in the aforementioned Registry.
In addition to the above, continuous patrols and checks are carried out in high risk places, where information gathering / intelligence analysis enables targeted interventions.
Informative brochures are being distributed to ensure the prevention of victimization in the areas of sexual assaults (both against children or adults) and rape, as well as sexual abuse in the family.
Child pornography measures are taken largely in collaboration with partner organizations with website information and media coverage.
All child sexual abuse cases are investigated by a central, special Investigation Team which operates at the Police Headquarters, under the Crime Combating Department, in close cooperation with all other competent authorities.
The Children’s Home , which is based on the principle of Barnahus, is in operation.