Cablegate: Tip in Turkey: Turkish Media Attention, November 16-

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 06 ANKARA 007255

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR G/TIP, G, INL, DRL, EUR/PGI, EUR/SE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL KCRM PHUM KWMN SMIG KFRD PREF TU TIP IN TURKEY
SUBJECT: TIP IN TURKEY: TURKISH MEDIA ATTENTION, November 16-
30, 2005

1. In response to G/TIP inquiries, national and
international media sources published the following news
articles about TIP in Turkey. Text of articles
originally published in Turkish is provided through
unofficial local FSN translation.

2. Published in the November 8th edition of Yeni Aktuel
magazine:

TITLE: Hotline 157 Saves Natashas

BEGIN TEXT: One hundred ninety-eight women from the
Eastern Bloc, who were lured into prostitution, were
saved through the 157 Hotline.

The IOM project became a hope for those who were
brought with promises of a job, but were dragged into
prostitution and who were diminutively labeled as
Natashas. Selin Unal, Project Coordinator, said that
human traffickers get only 2-4 years, rather than 8-12.

The 157 Hotline is a toll-free number that can be
called 24 hours a day. Eastern Bloc citizen women, who
are regarded as "easy" and "willing" by Turkish men,
and who are regarded as an easy target, are being
warned at the customs gates against the prostitution
threat. On the posters at passport control and the
information cards placed in their passports, risks of
human trafficking are listed briefly. Those who get
into trouble are asked to call 157. This hotline has
saved the lives of 198 women, but the result is far
from what was expected. We talked to IOM Project
Coordinator Selin Unal concerning the problems of
implementation, despite the fact that new laws were
adopted in which human trafficking was defined for the
first time.

Q: Which is the method used most for luring these
women (who later) call 157?
A: Almost all of these women are from the Ukraine,
Moldova and Russia of the former Soviet Union. They
are trying to live under very minimum standards and
with 30 USD a month. They all have families and
children. They cannot find a job in their own country.
They are offered very good jobs. They are promised,
"You will earn from 100-200 USD and serve as
waitresses, nannies or barmaids." They have no chance
of checking these promises. This is a way out and they
regard Turkey as a land of opportunity with high
standards. When they arrive, they realize what they
were told was not true.

Q: What do they see when they arrive in Turkey?
A: There are travel and accommodation expenditures.
They eat, drink and smoke. In other words, they are
asked to pay the "debt." She is powerless and already
came to earn money. They are told, "You will pay your
debt through prostitution and later if you like you can
stay in this sector and earn money." They hear threats
such as, "We may hurt your family and kill your child."
They are subject to a lot of violence and undergo
trauma.

Q: Are there ties between members of organized crime
and brothels?
A: In our country prostitution is legal, but for
Turkish citizens. In other words, you cannot see
foreign women in brothels. Certainly there might be
those who are employed and they, too, can call us. We
will be involved in the plight of a woman who calls 157
from a brothel as well.

Q: Why are you keeping the location of the two
shelters you opened as a secret?
A: Human trafficking is a global problem. When
victims arrive, they are victims at an international
level since they are not Turkish citizens. For
security concerns, the location of the shelters is kept
secret. Law enforcement officials seriously protect
these women.

Q: What are the conditions for victims to be sent back
to their countries?
A: A victim reaches us by calling 157. We give her
address to the law enforcement officials of the
relevant province. At that stage we cannot do anything
else. We serve as a bridge. The Jandarma or the
police save the victim. Victims first meet with
officials at the Foreigner's Department and later get
together with the IOM. Our colleagues meet with
victims and determine their needs. They might be sick
or subject to violence. They might need psychological
support due to trauma. Taking all these things into
consideration, emergency help is provided. They are
taken into shelters. The Health Ministry had a
circular dated 2004. The needs of the victims of human
trafficking are provided free of charge by the state.
They are provided with an honorable return back to
their countries.

Q: What is an honorable return home?
A: Turkey provides a humanitarian visa to victims of
human trafficking to stay up to six months. In the
meantime, we prepare their travel documents. We get in
touch with the IOM in their country and accompany the
victim to the aircraft. When the victim gets off the
plane, she is met by a representative of IOM. If she
agrees, she is hosted at shelters in her country where
a rehabilitation program is available because it is not
possible for them to overcome such trauma overnight.

Q: How many victims are fully rehabilitated?
A: Only 30 percent fully recover; the rest live with
this nightmare forever.

Q: Who provides your finances?
A: We get our funds from the U.S. and Turkish
Governments. The U.S. government provides around USD
600,000. The Turkish Government provides USD 100,000,
along with shelters and the toll free 157 hotline and
coordination.

Q: The "Zaman" newspapers and "Aksiyon" magazine
reported that it was the AKP that financed this
project.
A: Wrong information. We need to correct this. The
coordination is being provided through the Interior,
Foreign Affairs and Justice Ministries. You cannot say
that this is provided by a single party because there
is no such thing.

Q: How is the implementation of the law on human
trafficking?
A: Turkey could define human trafficking only in 2002
after signing the Palermo Protocol. In the law that
went into effect on June 1, 2005, human trafficking is
mentioned in Article 80. It requires imprisonment from
eight to 12 years. But there are two other articles:
Article 91 is about "organ trade." Paragraph three of
Article 227 of the TPC refers to bringing women from
abroad for the sake of prostitution. It requires
imprisonment from two to four years. Since the judges
might be thinking that the punishment for Article 80 is
too severe, they are inclined to carry out the trial
based on Article 227. This is the impression that many
judges at the Justice Ministry share.

Q: How did human trafficking come on the agenda like
this?
A: In the report that the U.S. published in 2002,
Turkey was in Tier 3, where there was no fight against
human trafficking. There are countries that show an
effort in Tier 2. And those countries that have no
such problem are in Tier 1. The same year Turkey
signed the Palermo Protocol and thus recognized human
trafficking. Seeing that Turkey was in Tier 3 in the
U.S. report, an action plan was drafted and in the
report Turkey moved to Tier 2.

Q: Does this have anything to do with Turkey's EU
process?
A: This is a human rights violation and no one should
tie the fight against human trafficking to this. Today
many countries in the same situation are trying to find
a solution to the problem.

Q: Why are you working on this issue?
A: I am doing my post-graduate studies on social
gender and women's issues. I wanted for a long time to
be part of a program to protect women and children.
When you look at the statistics on human trafficking,
you notice that most of the victims are women. But one
should not think that there are no men. Being kept in
a small room with no ventilation, with little food and
threats in a country whose language you cannot speak
and you do not know where to go and having no say over
your own body is very vulgar. This is the very cold
face of a human rights violation.

The Moldovan (31) - Alone with Six Clients
I was born in Moldova in 1974. I have two kids. I had
economic problems. A girlfriend told me that I could
earn good money as a dancer in Turkey. Earlier I
worked as a dancer in Slovenia and had no problems. I
was planning to work for a while in Turkey, earn money
and return home. My friend in Turkey who offered me a
job provided the plane ticket, passport and all
expenses. They told me that a person named Veysel
would meet me at the Antalya airport. I thought that
he would take me to the place where I would work. But
Veysel took me to a village cottage in Antalya. He
took away my passport. There was a woman from Moldova
at that house. She told me that I was brought there to
work in prostitution. When I objected and wanted to
return home, I was frightened and subject to all kinds
of pressure at gunpoint. They told me that I did not
have any other option but to be killed. Clients were
coming to the cottage. There were a few other women in
the same situation in the cottage. Once when there
were three women, nine clients came. One of the women
left with one man and the other with two. I had to be
with the remaining six.

One day the Moldovan woman took me to a client at a
hotel. I called the La Strada hotline that is run by
NGOs in Moldova for human trafficking victims. La
Strada told me to call 157. I called 157 and told the
operation the address and my condition. The 157
operator called the police hotline in Antalya. They
saved me from the hotel that I was in. I was taken to
the human trafficking victims' shelter in Istanbul. I
told IOM officials that I was willing to go back home.
The IOM provided me with my ticket and travel expenses.
They enabled me to go back home.

The Ukrainian (23) - When they could not sell her in
Istanbul, she was taken to Ankara

I was born in 1982 in the Ukraine. I have a daughter
who is one and a half years old. I am separated from
my husband and live with my mother. We were both
unemployed. A man told my girlfriend who was born in
1984 that he could find us jobs as waitresses in Turkey
and that we could earn good money. My friend
introduced me to this man. He made arrangements for us
to travel to Turkey. A Turkish man met us at the
Istanbul airport. He took us shopping and bought us
flashy night dresses. When we asked, he said that we
were in debt to him and that we would pay him back by
serving as prostitutes. When we did not agree, he said
that we did not have any other option. We were very
scared. We cried and wanted to go back, but they did
not allow us. When they could not sell us in Istanbul,
they told us that we were not suitable for Istanbul and
sold us to Ankara. We were taken to Ankara and began
to work. We were looking for a way out. But all
avenues were closed. My friend called her boyfriend
one day in the Ukraine and asked for help. He called
the hotline in Moldova and they told him that we should
call 157 in Turkey. We did. The 157 operator called
the police hotline and we were saved from a hotel in
Ankara. The IOM enabled us to return home.

The Moldovan (18) - With six men a day

I came to Turkey to serve as a nanny. A friend of mine
made the arrangements. I knew some people who went to
Turkey to work and returned with jewelry and expensive
clothing. Then I had a daughter who was 19 months old.
I lived with my brother and mother. Our living
conditions were very bad and I had to work. I arrived
in Istanbul in September 2004. I served as a nanny for
a week. I was told that I owed 1500 USD because of my
expenses. They locked me up in an apartment and took
away my passport. After a week I noticed that the
woman who locked me up was sleeping. I escaped and
went to the police. The IOM helped me return home.
When I returned to Moldova, we had no money. I could
not buy enough food for my daughter. When my neighbor
offered me a job in Turkey, I came back in August 2005.
I was forced to be with six people a day. Seven other
women were in the same situation. I managed to escape,
but since I was scared, I did not give the names and
addresses of the traffickers. The representatives of
IOM in Ankara and in Chisinau have been in touch with
the Interior Ministry for me and my family's safety.
END TEXT.

3. Published by Prime news (http://eng.primenewsonline.com)
on Monday, November 21:

TITLE: A Woman Detained On Charges Of Human
Trafficking

BEGIN TEXT: Tblisi. November 21 (Prime-News) - The
officials of the anti-trafficking sub department of the
special operative department of the ministry of
internal affairs of Georgia detained M. Alapidze, 1955,
on charges of human trafficking on Monday.

An official of the ministry told Prime-News that M.
Alapidze used to lure women to Turkey on the promise of
employment. Once there, she sold the women, who then
were sexually exploited.

Ms. Alapidze has been charged with human trafficking.
END TEXT.

4. Reported by Cumhuriyet on Tuesday, November 22:

TITLE: Seven arrested for forcing prostitution

BEGIN TEXT: Forty-seven-year-old N.S., who lives the
Meydancik area of Bursa, was captured by security
forces after reports that she forced her 13 year-old
daughter A.C. into prostitution. Thirteen people,
including a teacher, were taken into custody, after
security forces were informed that the young girl was
engaged in such activity. After interrogation, six
people were set free, and mother N.A. and M.D., K.K.,
M.E., Y.K., A.A., O.K. and A.G. were arrested. A.C.
reported that her mother forced her into prostitution.
She was sent to the children's section where her
relatives would pick her up. END TEXT.

5. Reported by the Anadolu Ajansi on Thursday, November 24:

TITLE: Forcing foreign women into prostitution . . .
Twenty-seven foreign women who were forced into
prostitution were saved in 23 operations in Antalya
following calls to the 157 hotline introduced in May.

BEGIN TEXT: Twenty-seven foreign women who were forced
into prostitution in Antalya were saved in 23
operations following calls to the 157 Hotline, which
was established in May.

According to information that AA obtained, the 157
hotline, which was made operational this year in May
under the coordination of the MFA, led to major success
in the fight of the security forces for the plight of
foreign women, in particular from the former East Bloc
countries, who were forced into prostitution.

According to information provided by the Antalya Police
Public Order Department, by evaluating the calls into
the 157 hotline, they conducted 23 separate operations
since May following investigations opened in the
provincial capital.

In the operations, 27 victims, who are from Moldova,
Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Ukraine and Azerbaijan and who
were involved in prostitution, were saved by police.

The officials also noted that in these operations, 101
people were detained, including 17 who were arrested
for human trafficking.

Officials also noted that in the operations where
victims were saved, another 36 women who were not
victims and were willingly involved in prostitution,
too, were detained. They were deported.

The police also noted that they looked into six Turkish
women for being involved in prostitution. They noted
that the police were working around the clock to
prevent prostitution. END TEXT.

6. Published by Hurriyet on Friday, November 25:

TITLE: Nine sex slaves in cell house
BEGIN TEXT: Police teams, after receiving a tip that
prostitution was being conducted in a condominium in
Obakoy, Alanya, carried out a raid on the place after
obtaining the permission of the public prosecutor.
Police could not find anybody except a man at the home.
The police thought the tip was false until they
searched the home carefully, moved a wardrobe closet
and noticed a hole in the wall behind it.

When the police went into the hall that was shut off by
furniture, they found themselves in the next door
apartment and saw nine women, including a Turk. The
women, who reportedly were forced into prostitution,
and the man who reportedly was selling them were taken
to the Police Public Order Department. A woman pimp,
P.S., who used the nickname "Isil" was also detained.
END TEXT.

7. Reported by Zaman on Saturday, November 26. NOTE: This
report is correct in reporting the Ankara shelter has been
opened and was a project of the Ankara Municipality, but the
fact that it is a refugee shelter run by IOM and will only
be open for two years is incorrect. It is for victims of
trafficking, run by the Foundation for Women's Solidarity
(an NGO) and will be open indefinitely. END NOTE.

TITLE: A shelter will open in Ankara for refugees

BEGIN TEXT: A shelter is opening in Ankara for women
refugees. The shelter project, taken up by the
Metropolitan Municipality Assembly, was adopted
unanimously.

The shelter will become operational according to a
joint project by the International Office for Migration
(IOM) and the Metropolitan Municipality of Ankara. It
will provide temporary shelter for women refugees.

Ankara, too, has started to work in order to meet the
requirements of the provisions of the UN Convention on
the Fight Against Cross-Border Crimes to prevent human
trafficking involving women and children.

A shelter will be opened for women refugees who fled
their homes and live thousands of kilometers away.
Thus, especially the plight of women brought from
Africa would be prevented.

Women who are determined to be victims of human
trafficking by the IOM and the Interior Ministry will
find temporary refuge here. Hot meals will be served
for shelter residents. Victims will stay for at least
six months or until their humanitarian visa issued by
the Turkish National Police expire. The location of
the shelter will be kept a secret. The municipality
will provide maintenance for the shelter. It will also
provide natural gas and water. The Municipality
Hospital will give medical services to the refugees.
The IOM will administer the shelter. The IOM will
control entry and exits, as well as meet the food,
social, legal and psychological needs of the refugees.
The shelter will remain open for two years. END TEXT.

8. Published by Aksam on Monday, November 28:

TITLE: Sex slaves are thrown into basement

BEGIN TEXT: It was discovered that women from eastern
Europe who are used as sex slaves in Britain are kept
in underground shelters in Macedonia before they are
taken to Britain.

The British "Telegraph" newspaper reported that slavery
of the Middle Ages was continuing in the 21st century.
According to the newspaper report, the Albanian
prostitution gangs were luring women by offering jobs
such as being a waitress or an au-pair, but actually
were marketing them as sex slaves.

Women coming from countries such as Romania, Ukraine,
Moldova and Bulgaria are kept in stuffy secret shelters
with no heating and lighting before they are sold in
gangs to western countries. Women are being purchased
for 1400 Euros in Romania and are forced into
prostitution in Macedonia before being taken to
Britain. Women are taken out of the shelters and see
daylight only when they practice prostitution. END
TEXT.

WILSON

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