Non-discrimination

Participants regretted the lack of cooperation between the authorities and CSOs operating in the area of non-discrimination, as well as the lack of an intersectional approach in the design of policies on topics like domestic violence and migrants.

Regarding women's rights, participants explained that assisted abortion had been legal in Cyprus as of 2018. The Istanbul Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence had come into force in the country in the same year, but statistical data on the incidence of domestic violence was still scarce.

Participants expressed concerns about the underrepresentation of women at the highest administrative and political levels and about the lack of public policies to address the issue. They also pointed to the fact that women in Cyprus were being paid around 10% less than their male counterparts and that their pensions were almost four times lower. Women over the age of 65 were more exposed to poverty than men of a similar age, which participants attributed to a conservative society and a lack of day centres for older people. Furthermore, according to social partners, the number of women working in informal and partial employment had greatly increased in recent years.

Participants mentioned that migrants (including asylum seekers) experienced particular difficulties, since some public figures presented the refugee issue as a threat to Cypriot national identity, which did not help the public's overall negative perception of migrants. One participant explained that a Muslim woman wearing a hijab would typically have difficulty getting a job in Cyprus. Participants also explained that there was a decree banning migrants from renting housing in a certain area, which they believed was based on the argument that the measure was necessary to prevent demographic changes.

CSO representatives welcomed some positive steps taken by the government towards integrating migrant children, such as appointing bilingual teachers. However, the situation was still problematic, as migrant children faced challenges at school, such as random allocation to classes without further consideration of their background or education level. The COVID-19 lockdown period had been 
particularly difficult for migrant children who had been isolated in migrant centres. Generally speaking, they had problems accessing the health system.

Participants mentioned an acute lack of funding for accommodation for people with disabilities. They also regretted the fact that the European Disability Strategy had not yet been fully implemented. They explained that there was no dedicated recourse mechanism for complaints made by persons with disabilities. The exercising of voting rights was also still considered a challenge for persons with 
disabilities. Participants also felt that the authorities did not do enough to support the integration of children with disabilities into regular schools.

Regarding the rights of LGBTIQ persons, participants mentioned that civil unions had been legal in Cyprus since 2015. They considered there was a lot of hate speech against LGBTIQ persons, but that it was investigated by the authorities.