The death of a 25-year-old woman in north Cyprus on Monday night has ignited strong reactions from various parties and organizations, with allegations of sexual slavery surfacing.
The woman is reported to have taken her own life at a cabaret – nightclub where she was working.
In a leading article in Yeni Duzen, a daily in the north, it stated: ‘This is not just a death, it is a bloody display of systematic violence and exploitation. Women working in nightclubs in Northern Cyprus have been subjected to harassment, mistreatment and abuse for years. It has been repeatedly stated that women’s organizations, civil society organizations, organizations and progressive groups have called on the authorities on this issue. Unfortunately, The government turned a deaf ear to these calls and turned a blind eye to human trafficking and exploitation.’
In a speech to the parliament in north Nicosia, MP Dogus Dergia, claimed that sexual slavery has persisted in the north for 25 years.
She stated that women registered as students are being forced into prostitution and referred to online directories where women are advertised as commodities, highlighting organized sex tourism in the region.
The women’s organization of the Republican Turkish Party (RTK) issued a statement titled “We have no tolerance for sexual slavery and human trafficking!” emphasizing that the woman’s death is not only a loss of life but the result of systematic violence and exploitation.’
At the same time, the Independence Road Party called for the closure of nightclubs, arguing that women working in these establishments under coercive conditions are victims of sexual slavery rather than workers in the sex industry.