Cyprus

Adult education and migration in Cyprus: A critical analysis

“…Both laws remain, however, silent on the question of integration of migrant and refugee populations to Cypriot society, containing no relevant (in the case of the Aliens and Immigration Law), or minimal provisions (Refugee Law) and avoiding to make connection to how access and participation to the education system might improve the socio-economic opportunities of non-nationals. As Trimikliniotis and Demetriou (2015) underline, the integration debate has been relatively marginal in Cypriot policies on migration; the term ‘integration’ only began to appear in official policy documents for the first time in 2007. Up to this time, migrants were not even recognised as a group at risk of exclusion due to their temporary residence status (Hajisoteriou & Angelides, 2013, p. 104).…”

“…The first ‘Action Plan for the Integration of Third-country Nationals Legally Residing in Cyprus’ was only launched during the 2010–2012 period aiming to address the objective of facilitating the integration of legal migrants, including Refugees and those with Subsidiary Protection (Trimikliniotis & Demetriou, 2015). Recently, due to the increasing flow of migrants a new Action Plan for integration has been approved by the Council of Ministers covering the years 2014–2016 and targeting at: maximising the benefits from legal migration by redefining the needs of the labour market; promoting the smoother integration of legal immigrants in the Cypriot society, and; managing situations where ghettoes have been established (Trimikliniotis & Demetriou, 2015). It is impossible to fully assess the impact of the implementation of these policy instruments for the integration of migrants since the action plans have lacked so far, any concrete monitoring or evaluation mechanisms (Trimikliniotis & Demetriou, 2015).…”

“…Recently, due to the increasing flow of migrants a new Action Plan for integration has been approved by the Council of Ministers covering the years 2014–2016 and targeting at: maximising the benefits from legal migration by redefining the needs of the labour market; promoting the smoother integration of legal immigrants in the Cypriot society, and; managing situations where ghettoes have been established (Trimikliniotis & Demetriou, 2015). It is impossible to fully assess the impact of the implementation of these policy instruments for the integration of migrants since the action plans have lacked so far, any concrete monitoring or evaluation mechanisms (Trimikliniotis & Demetriou, 2015). Other available indications, however, point to the critical shortcomings of these action plans and of their achievements: the lack of consultations with migrant communities at any stage of the action plans’ drafting and implementation, their limited effectiveness in overcoming the existing obstacles faced by vulnerable groups of migrants for accessing the job market, and their inability to curb the growth of hate speech and racist violence against migrants (European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), 2016).…”

“…Indeed, this absence corresponds to the observation that, up to 2002, there was essentially no policy engagement with diversity, multiculturalism and integration in the context of the Greek Cypriot education system (Partasi, 2017); it was only in the early 2000s that some academic discussion and research have been developed and the debate about the educational provision and integration of pupils with migrant biographies appeared on the political agenda. From this period onwards, an embryonic legal and policy framework has been developed aiming to promote inclusion policies for migrants and expatriates (Trimikliniotis & Demetriou, 2015). These inclusion policies have also given rise to debates on the introduction of multiculturalism in primary and secondary education and has concomitantly contributed to a growing academic research on the area (Angelides, Stylianou, & Leigh, 2003; Angelides, Stylianou, & Leigh, 2004; Hajisoteriou, 2010; Hajisoteriou & Angelides, 2013; Hajisoteriou, Neophytou, & Angelides, 2012; Hajisoteriou, Neophytou, & Angelides, 2015; Partasi, 2017; Trimikliniotis, 2004).…”

Criminalization of forced marriage in Europe: A qualitative comparative analysis

“…The Cypriot path is grounded in the country’s unique tension with its Muslim population and thus criminalization here is an outcome of this tension and not a feminist-right cabinet path. Recent scholarly analysis shows that Cyprus is increasingly a destination for immigrants and asylum seekers, particularly the southern part (Trimikliniotis and Demetriou, n.d.) which has led to a rise in racism and xenophobia.…”