In the cabaret „Chiquito” in Cyprus have worked as pole dancers and have prostituted hundreds of young women from Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia.  Moldovan women have been always on the „taste” of the Cypriot employer. Some of them left pregnant while others trained how to recruit nice girls to work for him. „I talked to the boss. He wants you to fly from Bucharest, as girls from Moldova with a Romanian Passport don’t have problems at the border. There everything will be fine. If you want to be a pole dancer, you get 30 euros per night. But if you sleep with clients you receive 100 euros. Everything depends on how you get along with the boss” tols us an intermediate who recruits young girls from Moldova.

Cabaret „Chiquito Night Club” is situated in Larnaca city in Cyprus.  The name of the place  is included in many prosecutor’s indicments, sentences of former dancers from the club and  human trafficking.

We have tried to find out if at the cabareth are still working young Moldovan and who are the intermediaries that deal with the recruitment.  Through a social networking site I contacted the manager of the premises, Rafael Panayiotou, under the pretext that I am a young girl from Chisinau and I would like to work as a cabaret dancer. I said my name is Oxana and the club name Roxana. I said I worked as a dancer in a night club in Chisinau. To have credibility with intermediaries and cabaret owner I implicated in our discussions a young women from Chisinau.

„I am the boss. Do you speak English…”

„Just dancer? Leave me a phone number. If you don’t speak good english you will talk to the barmen. His name is Jimmys. He speaks Romanian. Or with my father Stelios, who is the patron at Chiquito. This is his phone number 0035799888007”, cabareth manager told us. After less then an hour  the patron of the premises contacted us, Stelios Panayiotou, who knew only a few words in romanian and talked to us in a bad english. I am the boss. Rafael’s father. Roxana, do you speak inglish…? Do you have a Romanian Passport…? You will talk to Jimmys… He will contact you,ok? Thank you. Buy!”.

Immeditely called Jimmys, the cabaret barmen at „Chiquito”. „Hello! I don’t understand. I can’t hear you properly. I will call you back”, said he on the phone. I asked if there are girls at the club who speak romanian to contact me as he is using many greek words that I don’t understand. Jimmys passed the phone to a dancer from Moldova, that offered to translate. She told us her club name is Emili.

Moldovan from  „Chiquito”: We are waiting for you!

Danser: They are asking when do you want to come to Cyprus?

Reporter: What is your name?

Danser: Emili!

Reporter: I want to come, but want to know if it is legal or not…

Danser: It is legal. Don’t you know what are you going to do here?

Reporter: I will do striptease?

Danser: Yes, it depends on what you agreed with the boss.

Reporter:  What salary would I have?

Danser: Between 30 to 40 euros per night.

Reporter: How are the working conditions. In general how do the clients behave?

Danser: Depends on the client. Sometimes good, at times.. If you are a dancer you won’t have problems. Did you work here before?

Reporter: No. How is the accomodation there? Where would I stay?

Danser: The boss will give you an appartment. He charges weekly. Every evening he takes 5 euros. The apartments are new. You have conditions. You have everything.

Reporter: Is the flight to Cyprus covered?

Danser: Do you have money for the ticket?

Reporter: I have money…

Danser: Buy it and the boss will meet you at the airport. From Moldova there are flights on Wednesdays only. They are asking when do you want to come.

Reporter:  In two weeks.

Danser: You will talk to the patron as well.

Reporter: Emili, are there more Moldovans?

Danser: Yes. I am from Moldova. And another one…

Reporter: Do clients want more than a dance?

Danser: Depends. If you agree, it is ok. If you go out with the client you can make more money. Everyone do as they can.  

Reporter: Who do I talk to further?

Danser:  To Stelios. Do you have our boss number? With him.. Buy, buy! We are waiting for you.

On Saturday, 2nd of November 2013, at 11.30 pm, I received few calls from the number 079010169. „Hello, my name is Ana. Stelios called me from Cyprus. I can help you with what you need in order to get there. Lets meet on Monday. Write down another pone number ….”  On Sunday, 3rd of November, the intermediate send me a message. „I want to talk to you. I got news from Stelios”. I contacted her and offered to meet in a cafe in the center of Chisinau. She didn’t agree. „Let’s meet at Râşcani, in Soiuz, 2nd floor. There is a cafe. See you in one hour”. To our meeting Ana came with a small child, accompanied by a friend who was overseeing the place.

Meeting the queen of  „Chiquito”

Intermediate: I am Stelios girlfriend. This is his child. I came to give birth in Moldova. In here the attitude of doctors is different. With 500 euros you give birth as a queen, and there with 3000 euros as a …

Reporter: Are you going to Cyprus with a Romanian passport?

Intermediate: With Visa. I will go to Cyprus in Spring. Now, in November I must make the last credit card … You can find in here, in the makler ads about hiring in the club.

Reporter: How is the climate there?

Intermediate: 11 months of the year is sunny. Its „cool”. You wear shorts and a shirt.

Reporter: Yes, I think its beautifull…

Intermediate: I talked to the boss. He wants you to fly from Bucharest, as Moldovan girls with a Romanian Passport have no problems at the border. You buy the ticket to Bucharest, and from there he pays for your ticket. He will make a reservation. When you arrive to Bucharest, you go with the passport and say: I need the ticket I ordered. To avoid problems…. it is better for you to fly from Bucharest, you understand?

Reporter: What salary would I get?

Intermediate: The salary is 30 euros a day.  That’s what you get in hand. He pays the rent and all is needed. If you leave with someone for an hour or two, you get about 70 euros. And if you go with the customers for the whole night, you get about 100 euros. It depends on many things… At the cabaret you earn from consumption – 2 euros for each glass consumed by you client.

Reporter: And if you have sex with clients and pole dance, you get only 100 euros?  Intermediate: He counts (the boss).  You will stay in a hotel. Across the road from the cabaret. The girls live there. Usually 3-4 girls in a room. Each pays for it. Earlier he was taking 5 euros from the salary each evening, and he covers the remaining costs. You buy yourself clothes, jewelery, personal things, but he pays the insurance for you.

Reporter: Can I go out whenever I want?

Intermediate: Yes, of course. You are free, you just need to tell when you leave so that they know where you are as there could be certain controls. I worked in the cabaret with girls, later I was managing the girls. At the beggining I signed a contract in which was stated when I leave and when I get back home. Every month, we had two days when I could go to Moldova. And if I was spending there half a year, I could come home for a week. You agree on it with the boss. You say you want to go home and ask what do you need to do for it. He must ensure you will get back. There have been cases when the girls have left and haven’t returned. Then he loses money. You know, a plane ticket costs 300 euros, and if 5 leave and don’t come back, he loses 1500 euros. Stelios wants you to be there next week, he needs people, urgently…

Forced into prostitution  

Ana presented herself friendly and persuasive. At the end of the disscusion she told us to get ready for the trip quickly. In a short time after we split up, I received two phone calls from Cyprus, that we failed to respond. From the documentation that we have done on this subject, in cabareth „Chiquito Night Club” work more young women from R. Moldova, Romania, Ukraine, Russia, Bulgaria and from Fhilippines. Some of the club dancers appear on the photoes posted in Internet by the son of the owner.

Both on the phone and at the meetings with the local intermediaries of „Chiquito”, I undestood that once arrived at the cypriot cabaret you have the free choise to decide whether you want to pole dance or to sleep with customers. Moreover, in the indicments of Moldovan prosecutors, it appears that some of Moldova women who walked in „Chiquito” have been forced into prostitution.

On the 8th of June 2011, the General Police Office opened two criminal cases on behalf of  Valeriu Burea, Grigore Cabarii and Valeria M., all of them accused of human trafficking, after two young women were trafficked into prostitution in night club „Chiquito”. The victims told the court in detail how they were trafficked and transported to Cyprus to provide sexual services.

Maria V., one of the victims, told the judges that she agreed to go to Cyprus unless she is sold. In Cyprus she was met by the owner of the nightclub. And from the airport she was transported to the cypriot cabaret, where she saw a girl dancing in underwear. Then she went to an office. There they took her passport and accomodate her at the hotel. Later, she was told she must go out with a customer to keep him company, and she began to cry. The owner threatened her. He sayd he ownes him 850 euros, so she should go out with the clients and offer them sexual services for money, as to be able to repay the debt. Eventually she accepted.

From cabaret to prison  

Nina B., another victim forced into prostitution in the cabaret „Chiquito”, confessed to the judge that the patron of the premises forced her into prostitution under the pretext that she ownes him 800 euros for the flight ticket and expences incurred in preparing documents. Moreover, the patron said she will not go back to Moldova if she won’t provide intimate services to clients. Thus she slept with the first customers.

Defendant Victoria M. worked as a pole dancer since 2007 till 2011. She told judges she had to go to Cyprus to work as she was orphaned at the age of 10 and had to cope financially. She claimed she was not hurt by anyone, on the contrary, made money and was able to buy an appartement, computer and clothes. Also said that she trafficked noon and the file was made by the police.

In this case with the sentence of  the Court Botanica from 14th of May 2012,  Valeriu Burea was condamned with 4 years of  inprisonment with probation for a period of 3 years, and Valeria M. (former worker at  „Chiquito”) and Grigore Cabarii, have been fined for the offence of human trafficking. On the 26th of October 2012, the Court of Appeal Chisinau overturned the first instance judgement, condemning Valeriu Burea and  Grigore Cabarii to 7 years of prison and Valeria M. To 5 years of prison. Subsequently, the Supreme Court upheld the sentence of the judges of the Appeal.

Iurie SANDUŢA