Upcoming documentary alleges exploitation of British women in Ayia Napa

A documentary episode produced by Channel 4 alleges a system of exploitation targeting young British women lured to Cyprus for so-called “working holidays”, where they face illegal employment practices, sexual harassment and unsafe living conditions.

The episode follows reporter Tir Dhondy, who travelled to the island to investigate the claims while working undercover in Ayia Napa.

“We’re investigating claims that one company is luring young people to Ayia Napa under false promises and putting young British workers in danger of sexual harassment and exploitation,” Dhondy says in another excerpt.

In one snippet from the episode, a nightclub worker appears to joke with a manager about sexual acts allegedly being used as leverage to retain staff.

“If they give you a blowjob, while they’re on trial they stay, innit?”

Both men are heard laughing after the query.

“Whatever your rules are,” the latter replies.

The full episode, titled Undercover Working Holidays: UNTOLD, is set to be released on Channel 4’s website on January 13. However, teaser clips previously posted on social media suggest a troubling picture.

“I had a couple of girls tell me this year that the guy who’s in charge of staff at [another venue] makes them sleep with him so like (…) some people have quit (…),” one bar owner is heard saying about one of his colleagues.

The teasers refer to a well-known nightclub in the city.

Attempts by the Cyprus Mail to contact the club on Saturday were unsuccessful. A person who answered a number listed online as the club’s official contact denied owning any nightclub and said the number was incorrect.

A Google review posted after the teasers appeared online alleges the use of illegal workers at the club. However, the Cyprus Mail has not been able to independently verify these claims.

Police said they were unaware of any such reports.

“We have never received any complaint or report regarding the incidents described,” the police press office told the Cyprus Mail.

An Ayia Napa police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he was not personally aware of similar incidents but did not rule out the possibility.

In another clip, Dhondy recounts an interaction with a bar owner who allegedly made explicit sexual remarks while she was working undercover as bar staff.

“I play a joke on girls where I get them to put their arms up and pull their boob tube down so their breasts come out, and I’ve done it to 114 girls,” she quotes him as saying.

Speaking to the Cyprus Mail, a local bar owner, who requested anonymity, said he was not aware of an organised system of exploitation but pointed to agencies offering package deals for “working holidays”, primarily marketed to young Britons.

“I heard a story of a girl who came early in the season to work, alleging one of the managers was constantly after her, but that was the only time and I cannot verify if this was actually true,” he said.

A review of several agencies mentioned by the bar owner suggests a structured network offering “summer working holidays” in destinations including Ayia Napa, Ibiza, Malia and Zakynthos.

Packages are advertised at prices ranging from £650 for Ayia Napa to £1,500 for Ibiza for a 28-day stay, often promoted as “the summer of your life”.

“The accommodation prices include your first months stay with the option to stay on, with help to find further accommodation subject to availability,” writes one travel operator.

The company has more than 88,000 followers on Instagram and provides direct application links.

The anonymous bar owner tells the Cyprus Mail that the people who book such packages often benefit from significant discounts on drinks and that many of them only came to party and weren’t in for the working part of the holiday.

“You know, they complain about being ripped off and paying more for apartments than local workers, but of course the landlords need to maintain the apartment and local workers stay all year,” he said, adding that this could explain higher prices and lower standards in some short-term housing.