US embassy cable - 04ANKARA2198

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 002198 
 
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: TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS: TURKISH MEDIA ATTENTION 
 
 
1. (U) In response to G/TIP inquiries about anti-TIP 
public information campaigns, post provides as examples 
the following TIP press reports published in daily 
newspapers and circulated nationwide.  Text of the 
articles (originally published in Turkish) is provided 
through unofficial local FSN translation. 
 
 
2. (U) Published in the Friday, April 16, 2004 edition of 
Aksam Newspaper:  BEGIN TEXT: 
 
 
   By Nagehan ALCI 
   Nagehan.alci@aksam.com.tr 
   'In the Struggle Against Human Trafficking, We Skipped 
   a Class' 
 
 
   In the fight against human trafficking, countries are 
   put in three categories.  The first tier includes 
   countries that actively fight trafficking.  The second 
   tier includes countries with some effort and the third 
   includes countries that do nothing.  According to a 
   listing prepared by the US, Turkey was in the third 
   group.  But last September, Turkey initiated important 
   developments.  The MFA forwarded a package of 
   information it had prepared about what had been done 
   to fight against human trafficking.  Turkey was raised 
   to the second group.  As a result, Turkey is eligible 
   for credits from the IMF and the World Bank. 
 
 
   The Human Resources Development Foundation (HRDF), 
   which had made the first move in the fight against 
   human trafficking, went to the Interior Ministry and 
   asked for cooperation.  Upon their proposal they 
   signed a protocol with the Interior Ministry on 
   September 4, 2003.  The protocol is currently being 
   implemented. The director general of HRDF, Dr. Demet 
   Gural explained what was done in this field and 
   Turkey's mishaps as follows:  "Change in the law 
   played the most important role in Turkey's rising in 
   the category groups.  With Section 201(b), human 
   trafficking was defined for the first time as a crime 
   and perpetrators can be punished.  Earlier, there was 
   the Palermo Protocol and Supplemental Protocol To 
   Fight Against Human Trafficking.  However, crime was 
   not defined clearly.  Now those who are apprehended as 
   traffickers can be sentenced to heavy imprisonment and 
   fines." 
 
 
   With the amendment in the law, Turkey has started 
   fighting against this crime in a more organized way. 
   A national task force was established.  A separate 
   unit including the HRDF, was established within this 
   force under the coordination of the MFA.  According to 
   the new arrangements a victim can get a permit to stay 
   in Turkey for one month even if he or she does not 
   have a passport.  However, shelters still do not 
   exist.  Funding is now being sought for this purpose. 
   Victims stay at Turkish National Police or Jandarma 
   guesthouses.  If they apply to the foundation saying 
   "I am a victim of human trafficking and want to go 
   back to my country," if it is decided that that person 
   is a victim, then her or his ticket will be bought for 
   them and necessary arrangements be made to send back 
   to his or her home country in a secure way. 
 
 
   Following the change in the law, necessary training 
   works have started.  High-level Justice Ministry 
   officials were trained by the Foundation in late 
   January in two groups in Istanbul.  Istanbul State 
   Security Court judges and prosecutors, Heavy Penal 
   Court judges and prosecutors also attended these 
   training sessions.  The second leg of the training 
   included Turkish National Police officers.  They were 
   told about the importance of this issue.  Experts from 
   IOM and British Police organizations as well as 
   educators from HRDF and legal counselors attended 
   these sessions.  These training works have started in 
   Istanbul but they will be held in places such as 
   Izmir, Mugla, Antalya and Trabzon where human 
   trafficking is most intense. 
 
 
   Establishment of a Counseling Hotline via the 
   Foundation is necessary in order to make the public 
   know about the works.  It is also necessary for 
   victims to seek assistance easily.  The MFA also needs 
   to prepare brochures in which necessary telephone 
   numbers and accomplishments are written.  Especially 
   Russian-speaking staff members are needed.  Being put 
   on the second category is not enough.  The US 
   continues its close observation.  Washington officials 
   were in our country last month.  Our works are 
   constantly followed.  There is the danger that if 
   practices do not continue, we will fall back to the 
   third group.  The target should be going up to the 
   first. 
 
 
   HRDF was established 1988.  It works in the field of 
   population and development.  Their aim is to improve 
   the situation of people under difficult conditions. 
   They also provide information and services to people 
   in population control and healthy population.  END 
   TEXT. 
 
 
3. (U) Also published in the Friday, April 16, 2004 
edition of Aksam Newspaper:  BEGIN TEXT: 
 
 
   'Nine Thousand Judges to Get Human Trafficking 
   Training' 
 
 
   Justice Ministry Education Department Judge Ilyas 
   Pehlivan says judges and prosecutors are being trained 
   in the fight against human trafficking.  He said, "the 
   US has some criteria about human trafficking.  With 
   the amended law, we aim to educate judges and 
   prosecutors under the light of these criteria.  As the 
   Education department, we have training sessions 
   outside the country.  We want to continue these works 
   and educate 9,000 judges."  END TEXT. 
 
 
4. (U) Published in the Tuesday, April 13, 2004 edition 
of Milliyet Newspaper, page 12: BEGIN TEXT: 
 
 
   In an operation in Bodrum last week, a woman of 
   Azeri origin named Afag Duman (42 years old) was 
   arrested on charges of human trafficking. 
 
 
   Duman used policemen and Jandarma members to get 
   information about possible police operations in 
   advance.  A total of 15 people were detained and 
   12 of them including Duman and her two assistants 
   Rena Gocen and Linda Kurt were arrested and sent 
   to Izmir's F-type prison. 
 
 
   The operation, code-named "Basak Operasyonu" 
   (Operation Spike), unearthed a trafficking 
   network in the region.  Duman had established 
   contact with international human trafficking 
   groups.  Aside from Duman, people in connection 
   with the network in Istanbul were also 
   discovered. 
 
 
   Reports indicate Sema Eryuzlu in Istanbul sent 
   women who were brought to Turkey with tourist 
   visas from former East Block countries (primarily 
   Moldova), to Bodrum.  Duman and her network were 
   marketing these women to men in return for money. 
   It was also discovered that the network sold 
   "worn out" women to Makbule Bucak in Izmir, 
   Suyelman Meydan and Talip Ipek in Aydin and Sahin 
   Bozkurt in Denizli for 1500 or 2000 USD for them 
   to be sent to other sub-provinces. 
 
 
   Duman was sending these women to the addresses of 
   the buyers by taxi drivers named Turan Onay, Nami 
   Kilic and Cengiz Cobankara.  These women were 
   kept under control by violence and threat of men 
   from the southeast. 
 
 
   Investigators noted that Duman was putting money 
   in the bank account of a woman named Sema Gursel 
   for her to conduct procedures for problematic, 
   deported women.  Duman also had a man named Ejder 
   Toprak in Istanbul who issues fake identity 
   cards.  She was not sending back the women whose 
   visa periods expired. 
 
 
   She was also using her influence over the public 
   officials in Bodrum.  It was claimed that Duman 
   was paying cellular phone bills of jandarma 
   members named Y.D., C.A., S.G., E.B., N.B.A. and 
   policemen H.H.Y., S.M.O., B.S., C.E., and Y.K. 
   for them to inform her before the operations 
   against her and also she was sending women to 
   them. END TEXT. 
 
 
   The daily also printed a chart showing the women 
   trafficking route. 
 
 
5. (U) Published in the Tuesday, March 30, 2004 edition 
of Radikal Newspaper:  BEGIN TEXT: 
 
 
   The IKGV (Foundation Human Resources Developkment 
   [HRDF]) signed a protocol in September 2003 for 
   supporting victims of human trafficking in 
   Turkey. 
 
 
   The protocol will be fully implemented in two 
   years.  Turkey will protect victims who are 
   foreign women forced into prostitution by human 
   traffickers. 
 
 
   The IKGV will open a Shelter and a Counseling 
   Center for psychological, physical health and 
   legal services for such women. 
 
 
   Police will provide security to the shelter. 
   Women will be protected in this shelter rather 
   than being detained before deportation. 
 
 
   Such women will receive one-month humanitarian 
   visa and they will be sent to the country she 
   prefers.  Turkey will pay the bill. 
 
 
   In order to prevent the same women from being 
   trapped by human traffickers again, the NGOs and 
   officials in the country she is going will be 
   informed as well. 
 
 
   Women also will be able to use the 24-hour 
   hotline.  Women will either file complaints or 
   receive legal support from this line. 
 
 
   IKGV Director General Demet Gural said that many 
   of these women come to Turkey to work under 
   "normal" conditions. 
 
 
   She said, "If we can find the funds, we 
   immediately will open the center and the shelter. 
   We are expecting support from the governor's 
   office and social service institutions.  If we 
   can find a building at least, we will open the 
   shelter immediately." 
 
 
   The paper wrote that the State Department in its 
   2003 report placed Turkey in Tier 3 for not 
   showing enough effort to eradicate human 
   trafficking and not abiding by minimum standards. 
   With the works conducted by Turkey in the past 
   year, Turkey was moved into Tier 2.  END TEXT. 
 
 
EDELMAN