No sex please, we're Turkish Cypriot

THERE are plenty of nightclubs in North Cyprus. If you take a drive west along the coast from Girne to Karsiyaka, for example, you’ll pass about a dozen.

But those expecting to enter such establishments and bust a few moves on a sticky, drink-sodden dance floor will be disappointed.

Because these are in fact brothels, with giveaway names such as Sexy Lady, Playboy, and Forplay (sic).

Brilliant, you might think, the Turkish Cypriot government have adopted a progressive approach to dealing with the world’s oldest profession by allowing people to pay for sex in places where the safety of the women involved can be assured.

Except prostitution in North Cyprus is illegal. Those caught selling themselves on the street or in their own home will be fined or, if a repeat offender, jailed.

The nightclubs, on the other hand, are allowed to operate unhindered. Why?

Because, significantly, they pay tax.

So those running the country turn a blind eye to what goes on behind their closed doors and pretend the predominantly young Eastern European girls employed in such places are merely dancers or waitresses.

This is in spite of the fact that these same women are compelled by law to undergo regular medical examinations at the Venereal Diseases Department.

You couldn’t make it up.

Nations across the world - including South Cyprus and Turkey - have signed up to the UN Convention against Cross-Border Organised Crimes, which aims to stop and punish those responsible for human trafficking.
However, in North Cyprus - the country that doesn’t exist - there is unsurprisingly no such law in place.
So girls are brought over, have their passports taken from them, and are forced to work to pay off the “debts” they have accrued by travelling in the first place.

And it’s a situation that is unlikely to change unless the area north of the Green Line is recognised internationally and can be made subject to EU law.

Until then it’s unlikely there will be any crackdown on human trafficking.

But it’s okay, because prostitution here is illegal. But those of a nervous disposition might want to steer clear of the nightclubs, just to be safe.