A documentary broadcast by Channel 4 this week has documented systemic labour exploitation and the sexual harassment of young British women and men travelling to work in Ayia Napa.
The programme, Untold: Undercover Working Holidays, followed investigative journalist Tir Dhondy, who went undercover as a worker to expose the reality behind “working holiday” packages sold to teenagers and young adults. The footage captures nightclub owners demanding sexual favours in exchange for employment. In the documentary, one nightclub manager is recorded telling Dhondy, under the guise of a joke, that if she performs oral sex on him, he can bypass the unpaid trial period and hire her immediately. Another employer admitted on camera to pulling down the tops of 114 female workers to expose their breasts. Additionally, a middleman is heard admitting that an employer coerces young women into “sleeping with him” to secure a job.
The investigation focused primarily on the activities of a British company that sells work and accommodation packages to young Britons. It is noted that the Observer newspaper had previously published a report on this company’s activities in 2024.
Workers interviewed in the documentary denounced a systematic scam where, upon arrival in Cyprus, they were faced with unpredictable charges and forced to live in squalid conditions. Testimonies describe rooms without running water, infested with mould and insects, as well as buildings with broken locks that made the women’s stay dangerous.
A particularly striking account came from a young woman named Isobel, who woke up in the middle of the night to find a strange man standing over her bed. Furthermore, workers stated that company representatives encouraged them to sell illegal nitrous oxide (laughing gas) balloons, giving them instructions to run to evade arrest by the police.
They also report that the company pushed them to work in Cyprus illegally, without securing the work permits required for British nationals following the UK’s exit from the European Union.
“What we observe happening in Cyprus is that accommodation is linked to work, but the housing is always substandard. Most of the time, the cost of accommodation essentially wipes out what they can potentially earn, and very quickly they feel trapped,” commented Andrew Wallis, CEO of the organisation Unseen, in the documentary. Wallis added: “Work is illegal for a British national in the European Union unless they hold a specific visa. They will tell you that you can come for 90 days, and that is correct, but you need a work visa, which is never mentioned in advance. Thus, they may be arrested for illegal work, which carries the possibility of a criminal record—an outcome that is catastrophic for the rest of these individuals’ lives.”
Systemic exploitation
Virginia Mantouvalou, Professor of Human Rights and Labour Law at University College London (UCL), commented in the documentary that employers use “undocumented worker” status as a tool of coercion. “They know they are vulnerable. They know they do not want to go to the police because they fear arrest or deportation,” she noted.
Response by police and local authorities
Police sources told philenews on Thursday that efforts will be made to locate the journalist to secure more evidence that will provide a specific direction to the ex officio investigation already underway.
When asked by philenews whether the allegations of sexual harassment or labour exploitation would be investigated, the police replied that they intend to investigate “everything arising from the documentary”. Moving forward, they will attempt to contact the journalist to take a statement to determine how the investigations will proceed.
In statements made today on the state radio programme Proino Dromologio, the Mayor of Ayia Napa, Christos Zannettou, said that he does not rule out that such phenomena exist in the area. He also pledged that the municipality would identify unsuitable staff accommodation. However, he insisted that such “isolated” incidents do not reflect the overall image of the region.
Later in the day, the Ayia Napa Municipality issued a condemnation of the “illegal and unacceptable” practices exposed by a Channel 4 undercover investigation, with Mayor Zannettou declaring a policy of “zero tolerance” towards harassment and labour exploitation.
Organisations demand probe into “modern slavery”
The revelations have sparked a reaction from the POGO Women’s Movement, which issued a statement on 15 January 2026 describing the findings as a regime of “modern slavery with a clear gender dimension.”
The organisation stressed that the testimonies of these women—many of whom are minors or highly vulnerable due to age and financial need—describe systematic abuse, intimidation, and humiliation. POGO warned that such practices seriously expose Cyprus internationally and highlight long-standing inadequacies in labour market supervision and the protection of women from sexual exploitation.
The movement has already formally written to the Chief of Police, demanding a full investigation and the immediate attribution of legal responsibility.
Joining the calls for action, the trade union PEO stressed that the reports point towards “human trafficking mechanisms” and demanded immediate answers from the Ministry of Labour. PEO noted that these allegations confirm their long-standing concerns regarding the lack of effective oversight and the criteria used to grant employment permits for foreign workers, urging the government to finally engage with trade unions to overhaul the current system.
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