Media Room - News at April, 2006

Vatan Newspaper - April 30, 2006

Vatan - Istanbul

    They are begging to their clients "Please help me, I am so desperate"

    94 % of the women which engage in prostitution are forced to that.

    90 % of them have sexual diseases

    There are near 3 thousands of women which are forced to prostitution in Turkey. Alo 157 is a helpline which is established to rescue these women… Project head Selin Arslan told their sad stories.

    How did the idea of creating this project raise?

    Turkiye has been showed as an opportunities country especially to the Former Soviet Republic. This served the human traffickers. Women are usually deceived by the commitment as “You will be a house keeper”. When the collusions to the foreign woman are brought out by the operations we decided to fight against human trafficking.

    And the 157 project come on the scene...

    It is a line set up to rescue the victims and it is open 24 hours. Operators which can speak almost every language serve there.

    Do you share the calls with the Security General Directorate?

    Yes. 157 is only a communication bridge. Victims are frightened and intimidated for not going to police. For those women it is more safe and comfortable to call an NGO which has the guarantee of Turkish government.

    After you informed the police about the call what’s going on?

    We inform police or gendarme depending of the area of the call. And they arrange raids. 81 women have been rescued through this way in one year.

    The stories, are they similar?

    The frame is obvious. They are deceived by the traffickers. We determined that 94 % of them were forced to prostitution.

    When you say “deceived”..?

    They are brought by the commitment of being a babysitter, barmen, house keeper and they are sold from one trafficker to another. There are even some which are kidnapped at the airport when they first come to Turkiye. They are forced to work by beating and torment. There are some which work by the threat of killing their children.

    How do they contact with you? Can they use communication instruments?

    Find a telephone is almost impossible. They usually ask for help from their clients. 70 % of the people which call us are the clients of the victim women.

    It is a very high rate…

    Yes very high. They are begging, trying to tell their problem to their clients as “Please help me. I am so desperate” And the clients who go there to have sex whit this woman, behave very sensitive usually. He is looking for the ways to save the women. Everybody has to perform his humanity duty, and has not to ignore. Any one who heard, saw or suspected about something like that please do not hesitate to call 157.

    What is the situation of the woman after being rescued?

    90% of the woman which are rescued trough our help had sexual diseases. Their psychological situation was awful of course. First of all we procure them to have treatment. If they want to return their country we assist them. But it’s not a solution to assist them to return their home countries. They are transferred to the rehabilitation center in their countries that we work together. Shortly every assistance needed for reintegrating them into society is doing.

Cumhuriyet Newspaper - April 02, 2006

Cumhuriyet - Istanbul

    MOTHERS IN COLLUSION

    200 women are rescued from the prostitution gangs in Turkey by the International Organization for Migration's counter-trafficking campaign "Have you seen my mother?" While the number of calls to the 157 Help line is reaching to one thousand; three in four people who call and try to provide help are the clients of these women.

    200 women are rescued from the prostitution sector and from the human-trafficking gangs through the "Have you seen my mother?" campaign executed by the International Organization for Migration to fight against human-trafficking which reflects "a human tragedy". 81 women are assisted to return to their home countries. The number of calls to the 157 Helpline which set up in Turkey by IOM to prevent the human-trafficking, are reaching to one thousand.

    157 Helpline set up on May 2005 by the leading of US government in order to help victims of trafficking in Turkey. The number of calls to the 157 Helpline is increasing day by day. The number of the calls to the helpline from its establishment until now is in a high level as 765 calls for the first six months, and the number of calls in 2006 is close to 250. It's determined that most of the calls are coming from the cities as Istanbul, Ankara, and Alanya where prostitution gangs exist mostly. According to the authorities; 60 percent of the women dragged into the prostitution swamp come from the countries such as Moldova and Ukraine where earnings in a day is less than two dollars, and also these women are deceived by the people close to them.

    According to IOM data's three people in four who make call to the 157 Helpline are the clients of the women who are forced to prostitution. The calls are answered by the well-trained operators in the Helpline, then transferred to the related region's law-enforcement units, and some operations arranging on the given addresses. Security forces working in the scope of the campaign; are setting guard on the left house and are saving the women brought in the same address.

    After the operations women rescued from the traffickers are directed to the rehabilitation centers in Istanbul and Ankara. According to IOM data's 183 people in Istanbul shelter, 31 people in Ankara shelter utilized these services. Most of the women forced to prostitution having personality and sleeping disorder and stress. 81 of the women which are treated in the IOM's rehabilitation centers are assisted on voluntary return to their home countries.

    One in every three women trafficked to Turkey is mother

    IOM's "2005: Turkey, Human-Trafficking, and Trends" report revealed the fact that one in every three women forced to prostitution is mother. According to the report; 60 percent of the women who forced to prostitution are brought from Moldavia and Ukraine. Women are coming to Turkey with the promises that they will earn 300 dollars in a day in Turkey instead of earning 2 dollars a day like in their country. 94 percent of these "Women for sale" are forced to prostitution; mostly they are in Istanbul, Ankara and Antalya. According to incorrect contemplation of Turkish people about these women forced to prostitution are university graduate, the report reveals that it is not reflecting the truth.

    According to the report; more than the half of the victims between the ages 19-25 are secondary school graduated, maximum. The report expresses that the illegal money gained from the human-trafficking is jumping over one billion dollars a year, and also women are dragged into the prostitution swamp by their acquaintances which cheat them.

    The project which aims to fight with the negative effects of the human-trafficking and to increase awareness on this subject, needs support. US government finances 700 thousands dollars amounted project. Turkey, Italy and Sweden support also this project. IOM authorities determinate that the campaign income will stop in a few months. They are looking for the new sources to provide the continuity of the project.

    Three Months Balance Sheet In Istanbul

    In Istanbul, for the first three months of 2006 195 women which are forced to prostitution are caught by the operations arranged in Beyoglu, Eminonu, Silivri, Fatih, and Bakirkoy. It has been determined that 42 of these women had contagious diseases.

• Ten foreign national women have been caught by the operation arranged in Eminonu on 7th of April.
• Seven foreign national women which are engaging in prostitution in Bakirkoy have been caught on 14th of February.
• In the operation to the criminal organization which bring to Turkey foreign national women and force them to prostitution; 23 gang member, and 55 foreign national women have been caught on 19th of February.
• 38 foreign national women which are forced to prostitution in Fatih have been taken in custody on 20th of February.
• 37 foreign national women have been taken in custody in Silivri on 10th of March.
• Two people who hold foreign national women in a house and forced them to prostitution have been caught by an operation arranged by gendarmerie forces in Silivri on 13th of March.
• 38 foreign national women have been caught by the operation arranged in Beyoglu on 23rd of March.
• Ten foreign national women hiding in the secret compartment of an hotel in Silivri have been caught by an operation arranged by gendarmerie forces and have been deported.