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

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 ANKARA 007394 
 
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, December 1- 
15, 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 Embassy translation. 
 
¶2.  Published by the Turkish Daily News on Thursday, 
December 1, 2005: 
 
     TITLE:  Ricky Martin teams up with migration group to 
     fight human trafficking 
 
     BEGIN TEXT:  Pop star Ricky Martin is teaming up with a 
     U.N.-affiliated migration organization to fight the 
     illegal trafficking of people in Colombia. 
 
     Martin, from Puerto Rico, will support a campaign in 
     Colombia against human trafficking by appearing in 
     television commercials and through his nonprofit 
     charity, the Geneva-based International Organization 
     for Migration (IOM) said on Tuesday. 
 
     "More than half of trafficking victims worldwide are 
     children, forced into pornography, prostitution and 
     labor servitude," Martin said in a statement.  "Human 
     trafficking is an unscrupulous market that generates 
     about $10 billion annually." 
 
     The commercials will be aired starting next year and 
     will focus on the dangers trafficking poses to 
     Colombian children such as sexual exploitation, the 
     Geneva-based IOM said. 
 
     They will also publicize a new telephone hot line that 
     provides free assistance and information concerning 
     trafficking in the country. 
 
     Martin, who was recently in Colombia as part of a 
     global concert tour, is also a goodwill ambassador for 
     the U.N. Children's Fund. 
 
     With UNICEF, he has tried to draw attention to sex 
     tourists who travel to foreign countries to exploit 
     children drawn into prostitution.  He also visited 
     Thailand in the aftermath of last December's 
     devastating Indian Ocean tsunami to help orphans and 
     families who lost relatives. 
 
     The singer - whose hits include "She Bangs," "Shake 
     Your Bon-Bon" and "Livin' La Vida Loca" - started the 
     Ricky Martin Foundation about 10 years ago to help 
     children in need.  Its People for Children project has 
     been active in anti-trafficking programs. 
 
     IOM was established in 1951 to resettle European 
     migrants or refugees and is active around the world in 
     helping people who are displaced.  It also assists 
     governments in migration issues.  END TEXT. 
 
¶3.  Published by Zaman Online (www.zaman.com) on Saturday, 
December 3: 
 
     TITLE:  4 Arrested on Human Trafficking in Izmir 
 
     BEGIN TEXT:  Four people have been arrested and sent to 
     prison in Izmir on charges of organizing human 
     trafficking. 
 
     The four were detained by Izmir Gendarmerie Smuggling 
     and Organized Crime Branch teams following six months 
     of surveillance of smugglers who were bringing illegal 
     immigrants into Turkey and then taking them by boat to 
     Greece.  The four were identified as Sait S., 43; Ahmet 
     G., 50; Sedat T., 46; and Soner K., 32.  END TEXT. 
 
¶4.  Reported by Aksam on Monday, December 5: 
 
     TITLE:  Police save sex slaves 
 
     BEGIN TEXT:  On a tip that women were being forced into 
     prostitution, police raided a house on Baskurt Street 
     in the Taksim neighborhood of Cihangir and saved four 
     foreign prostitutes.  A Crimean, O.A., was arrested and 
     sent to prison on charges of selling women, and it was 
     announced that the search was on for three Turks.  A 
     "prostitution notebook" with the names of clients was 
     seized in the raid on the apartment where Ukrainian 
     women were kept.  END TEXT. 
¶5.  Published by Ankara Anatolia on Thursday, December 8: 
 
     TITLE:  Turkey:  Minister Aksu Addresses International 
     Migration Symposium in Istanbul 
 
     BEGIN FBIS TRANSLATED TEXT:  Turkish Interior Minister 
     Abdulkadir Aksu indicated on Thursday that the Turkish 
     government is working on projects for better control of 
     national borders which will soon become the borders of 
     the European Union (EU). 
 
     Minister Aksu took the floor at the symposium entitled 
     "International Migration" in Istanbul. 
 
     "The concept of migration affects the whole world. 
     Migration has an impact on countries' political, social 
     and military policies," said Aksu. 
 
     Aksu remarked that about 500,000 migrants enter the EU 
     illegally every year. 
 
     Aksu pointed out that Turkey has accepted millions of 
     migrants and refugees throughout its history. 
     "Migration into Turkey lands began with the arrival of 
     300,000 Jews from Spain.  In the past 200 years, Turkey 
     has been home to millions of refugees," noted Aksu. 
 
     According to Aksu, Turkey received 52,542 refugees from 
     Iraq in 1980, 300,000 refugees from Bulgaria in the 
     1980s and close to 40,000 refugees from Bosnia- 
     Herzegovina in the 1990s. 
 
     Aksu stressed that, as a country with 9,658 kilometers 
     of sea and land borders, Turkey plays an active role in 
     the fight against international crimes and terrorism. 
 
     Minister Aksu commented that Turkey has taken measures 
     to help the victims of trafficking.  "We have opened 
     shelters for the victims of human trafficking in big 
     cities such as Istanbul and Ankara.  We have allocated 
     5 million YTL (5.13 million USD) to help the illegal 
     migrants who enter Turkey.  We are working on new 
     projects to have the latest technology at our borders. 
     Our borders will become more secure against 
     international crimes," added Aksu.  END FBIS TRANSLATED 
     TEXT. 
 
¶6.  Carried by Haftalik magazine in their December 9th 
issue: 
 
     TITLE:  Turkey's Prostitution Map 
 
     BEGIN TEXT:  Prostitution is one of the fastest growing 
     problems in Turkey.  It's possible to see this growth 
     in the evenings in urban centers of large cities.  On 
     one side people are milling in the streets, on the 
     other side the sale (of women).  It's all intertwined. 
     The rise in the prostitution rate has even caused it to 
     be reported.  According to an Ankara Trade Board 
     report, the number of prostitutes in Turkey is 
     approaching 100,000.  According to the same report, 
     there are 56 brothels and around 3000 prostitutes 
     working in them.  The number of registered prostitutes 
     in Turkey numbers more than 15,000.  Another 30,000 
     women are waiting for their permits to work as 
     prostitutes.  Especially in recent years, prostitution 
     has evolved into street walkers and unlicensed 
     brothels.  Just in Diyarbakir alone, there are 1000 
     unlicensed brothels.  The prostitution sector controls 
     about $3.4 billion.  Interestingly, almost two-thirds 
     of those who go to prostitutes are married.  According 
     to the ATB report, 63.4 percent of prostitutes' clients 
     have official (legal) marriages and 12.2 percent have 
     religious (illegal) marriages.  The report claimed that 
     30 percent of the prostitutes are marketed by their 
     husbands, 10 percent by their fathers, mothers, big 
     brothers or other relatives, and 3.4 percent by their 
     boyfriends.  And the most important factor to the 
     prostitution problem is foreign women.  According to 
     Turkish National Police data, in the last ten years the 
     number of foreign women who were captured while serving 
     as prostitutes was 30,073.  Almost 40 percent of these 
     women were in Istanbul. 
 
     Based on this information, we drew up a "prostitution 
     map" of Turkey. 
 
     Istanbul:  Transvestites have taken over the streets. 
     In recent years the rate of transvestite prostitution 
     has increased, in particular on Istanbul streets. 
     Until ten years ago, they were seen only on the 
     Cevizlibag-Merter portion of the D-100 highway; now 
     they are everywhere.  You can see them after 21:00 hrs 
     in Taksim, Elmadag, Harbiye, Sisli, Aksaray, Vatan 
     Caddesi, D-100 Cevizlibag-Esenyurt areas.  On weekends 
     there is a transvestite prostitute every five meters 
     from Tarlabasi Boulevard to Harbiye.  The transvestites 
     strike up deals with customers, whom they then take to 
     "brothels" located on side streets. They also operate 
     on the Kennedy Sea Road and on the Anatolian side in 
     Caddebostan and on the Bostanci-Pendik highway. 
 
     Women prostitutes retreat to unlicensed brothels.  As 
     prostitution is spreading, it has gotten harder to find 
     female prostitutes on the streets.  Women prostitutes 
     are generally are seen on Millet Caddesi, certain parts 
     of Taksim and around Maslak.  Women prostitutes prefer 
     working in closed unlicensed and by appointment 
     brothels, which leaves the streets to transvestite 
     prostitutes.  It is believed that there are hundreds of 
     unlicensed brothels in Istanbul. 
 
     There are also many prostitutes who are operating 
     individually and by telephone appointments only.  These 
     are girls who want to keep their families unaware of 
     their work.  This is very popular and friends and 
     telephone numbers are exchanged. 
 
     Foreign prostitutes who used to operate only in the 
     Aksaray area are now in Etiler and Beyoglu as well. 
     There are also many foreign women at unlicensed 
     brothels.  In fact, they even live there.  They prefer 
     to stay at places like Atakoy and Atasehir where there 
     are many condominiums.  In recent years foreign 
     prostitutes do not come only from the former Eastern 
     Bloc countries, but also from Africa and Iran. 
 
     Izmir:  Prostitutes invade rich neighborhoods. 
     Transvestite prostitutes operate in the Alsancak 
     district, Kibris Sehitleri Caddesi and Talatpasa 
     Boulevard.  Police are trying desperately to rid these 
     rich areas of prostitution.  They prefer to operate 
     through hitchhiking.  Some operate out of their houses 
     or cars.  During the Izmir Fair in September, 
     transvestites from other cities, especially Istanbul, 
     travel to Izmir. 
 
     Foreign prostitutes, like Russians, are found in the 
     Basmane district hotels.  Some of these hotels do not 
     take Turks.  The hotels cater to mostly foreign 
     tourists.  Turkish prostitutes work at brothels here 
     and there.  The Izmir brothel is one of the most 
     popular sites. 
 
     Ankara:  Due to police pressure, prostitution has gone 
     to the ring roads.  As in Istanbul, in Ankara you see 
     transvestite prostitutes on the street; women 
     prostitutes have gone indoors.  Transvestites used to 
     be seen mostly on Cinnah Caddesi, but because of police 
     pressure, they moved to houses around Eryaman and they 
     look for clients on the Istanbul road.  Women 
     prostitutes cater to truck drivers on the same road. 
     There have been raids on unlicensed brothels in 
     Yenidogan and Mamak.  Both Turkish and foreign 
     prostitutes work at nightclubs in the Ulus district. 
 
     Trabzon:  The Russians are in charge of the market. 
     Trabzon was one of the first stops for foreign 
     prostitutes who began to pour in in the early 1990s. 
     There is still a high potential in this city.  Many 
     foreign prostitutes in particular operate out of hotels 
     on the Rize road.  It is a known fact that foreign 
     prostitutes operate out of the Comlekci district. 
 
     Antalya:  The Lara and Konyaalti beaches are 
     prostitution  centers.  There are two centers of 
     prostitution in Antalya.  The first one is in Lara's 
     Barinaklar area.  Foreign prostitutes work in this 
     district.  The second area is the harbor.  Turkish 
     prostitutes, when they have the opportunity, operate 
     out of parks close to the harbor.  The Konyaalti shore 
     is another area where prostitutes look for clients. 
     There is a brothel on the way to the Duden Waterfalls. 
     Although the number of transvestite prostitutes has 
     increased in recent years, they have not yet taken over 
     the streets. 
 
     Bursa:  Upon the brothel closing, business takes to the 
     street.  Since the city brothel was closed down, 
     prostitution has taken to the streets.  In the evening 
     hours, the Central Bus Station region, Carsamba, the 
     Merinos intersection, Cekirge Street and the new Yalova 
     road are where one can find female prostitutes and 
     transvestite prostitutes.  Foreign prostitutes operate 
     out of certain hotels.  These are mostly women who are 
     brought from Istanbul's Yenikapi, to Yalova and from 
     there to Bursa. 
 
     And what is the situation in other cities? 
 
     Diyarbakir:  The Diyarbakir brothel is an important 
     prostitution center for the region.  It is on the 
     Mardin Road.  In the city center there are some secret 
     brothels as well. 
 
     Adana:  Turkish prostitutes work in the Old Bus Station 
     district and on the Adnan Menderes Highway.  Both 
     female and transvestite prostitutes look for clients on 
     the Baraj Road. 
 
     Samsun:  Foreign women operate by phone and stay on 
     Ataturk Boulevard, Centennial Boulevard and in some 
     other areas. 
 
     Eskisehir:  There is a brothel and prostitutes operate 
     on the old NATO road.  They are also found in Alaaddin 
     Park. 
 
     Erzurum:  There are some foreign prostitutes in the 
     hotels on the Palandoken Road. 
 
     Konya:  There are brothels in the city center.  They 
     are mostly in the Zafer District.  Prostitutes mostly 
     come from Adana and Mersin. 
 
     Gaziantep:  Prostitution is seen mostly in casinos and 
     bars in town.  END TEXT. 
 
¶7.  Published by Ankara Anatolia on Thursday, December 15: 
 
     TITLE:  Turkish Interior Minister in Athens to Attend 
     Meeting on Illegal Migration 
 
     BEGIN FBIS TRANSLATED TEXT:  Turkish Interior Minister 
     Abdulkadir Aksu has arrived in Athens today to attend a 
     quartet meeting, titled "Illegal migration and struggle 
     against human trafficking," with Greek, Iranian and 
     Pakistani ministers. 
 
     The meeting is hosted by Greek Minister of Public Order 
     Yeoryios Voulgarakis and will also be attended by 
     interior ministers of Iran and Pakistan. 
 
     The ministers from four countries will discuss illegal 
     migration, human smuggling, illegal drug trafficking 
     and organized crimes.  There will be a joint statement 
     at the end of the meeting on Friday. 
 
     Aksu and other ministers will meet Greek President 
     Karolos Papoulias and Minister of Interior Prokopis 
     Pavlopoulos today. 
 
     Abdulkadir Aksu is expected to hold talks with both 
     Iranian and Pakistani ministers. 
 
     Minister Aksu will depart from Athens on Friday night. 
 
     The meeting was originally scheduled for October 10th- 
     11th, but was postponed due to the massive earthquake 
     in Pakistan.  END FBIS TRANSLATED TEXT. 
 
¶8.  Published by Radikal on Thursday, December 15: 
 
     TITLE:  Little girl forced into prostitution 
     BEGIN TEXT:  In the Gokova region of Ula sub-province, 
     Mugla, eight people were detained, seven on the charge 
     of having sex with an underage girl in return for money 
     and the girl's aunt, who marketed her, was detained. 
 
     After receiving a tip, the Jandarma detained GG, RD, 
     MK, SK, AC, SS and NS for having sex with F.A. (15). 
     Based on their testimony, HM, the aunt of the girl, was 
     detained as well. 
     The eight suspects were arrested and put in jail.  END 
     TEXT. 
 
WILSON