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