Only ten official complaints of sexual harassment were submitted in the Civil Service between 2022–2024. Yet, according to the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), the real scale is vastly greater: two in five women in Cyprus, 40% report having experienced sexual harassment at work, compared to an EU average of 31%.
This glaring discrepancy was flagged during a debate in the parliamentary Human Rights Committee, where MPs stressed that complicated and bureaucratic procedures discourage victims from reporting cases. Whether through internal workplace channels, the Labour Department, or the Ombudswoman’s Office, the numbers remain fragmented and are not captured in a central register.
As a result, according to a Cyprus News Agency (CNA) report, there is currently no comprehensive way to record the true size of the problem, let alone design effective policies to tackle it.
Civil Service HR Director Maria Kleanthous admitted that data are limited only to cases referred to the disciplinary board, noting there is no mechanism to collect information from other channels. “These should be requested through letters in all departments,” she said. Between 2022–2024, fourteen disciplinary procedures were launched, though without specifying the nature of the offences.
Meanwhile, ten complaints were filed with the Ombudswoman’s Office and another three in the private sector during the same period. But CNA reports the actual number of cases is “much higher,” since many victims choose internal channels or external authorities whose data are not reflected in Civil Service records.
Ombudswoman Maria Lottidou also highlighted delays at the Education Ministry in forwarding a case involving a high-ranking official, underscoring systemic weaknesses in handling complaints.
She reminded that her Office prepared a Workplace Sexual Harassment Code back in 2018, adopted by the Cabinet and made obligatory in the Civil Service, while unions introduced a similar code for the private sector.
CNA points out that another major obstacle is time: delays at any stage place additional pressure on victims and often lead to the withdrawal of complaints, leaving the majority of cases invisible.