Media Room - News at April, 2006
Vatan Newspaper - October 8, 2006
Meltem Günay - Vatan Newspaper
101 victims of trafficking are rescued
157 Helpline for victims of human trafficking; the hope for women who are forced to prostitution in Turkey has been established 2 years ago. Until then, it has rescued 101 women from human trafficking sector. IOM Turkey Office, Head of Media Relations Selin Arslan mentioned that ‘the big percentage of the people calling the help line are men who are customers of these women, I think they have a guilty conscience.’
The calls from customers rescue trafficked individuals
There is a new way to be rescued, from especially for the women who are taken from Soviet countries, by being deceived and forced to work as prostitutes. 157 Helpline for trafficked individuals has become a hope for trafficked women. Since 23May 2005 101 women has been rescued by the 157 Helpline.
IOM Turkey Office Head of Media Relations Selin Arslan claimed that Turkey is seen as the country of opportunities by the people who live in Soviet countries said; when women who earn 30 dollar in their home country they come to Turkey to earn more and they face with human trafficking, they are forced to prostitution by being deceived and threat. Even when they try to escape they don’t have chance. % 86 percent of the women who are victim of trafficking are usually put into this situation by the people who have personal relations with. 157 Helpline has been established to rescue these women. The aim of helpline provides a connection between the trafficked individual and police and gendarmerie. The helpline is reachable everyday 24 hours and the operators in 157 Helpline can provide assistance in Russian, Roman, English and Turkish.
They are always under control
Mrs. Arslan who claimed that women who work in prostitution sector are forced to work like slave and are very strictly under control says‘ the number of women who is able to reach us is very low. They can only call when they are alone or when they escape from the traffickers who sell them. It’s the only time that they are able to call us and want help. There are also women who want help from their customers or customers who have a guilty conscience and call us.
They are accommodated in the shelters
Mrs. Arslan, who said that rescued trafficked individuals locate in the shelters, in Ankara and Istanbul; and they are taken psychological support, said “If the victims want to return their home country, we work with the embassies. Victim goes to the airport with the police, the officers from IOM and shelter; and the trafficked individuals are escorted to the aircraft until they board. If she wants to stay at Turkey, she has chance to take humanitarian visa to the victim for six months. In this period, victim has a work permit too. If there is vital risk in returning to her country, she can be transferred to another country”.
They keep quiet in order to not to be excluded
Mrs. Arslan also mentioned that victims after return to their home countries never tell about their stories and Mrs. Arslan said that La Strada which is one of the most active organizations in Moldova, its one of the surveys of 900 persons indicated the reason why the victims never talk about their stories. In the survey, the question “Do you accept a victim of human trafficking as a family member?”, the % 48 of men and %43.6 of women told that they do not accept them as a family member and % 41 of men and % 33.7 of women also do not accept the trafficked individuals as their friends. Thus, trafficked individuals keep quiet in order to not to be excluded. They don’t give up the traffickers and that encourages the trafficker to continue to do this.
They said “Your debt will be finished in a month”, but it had never finished
(Victim is 21 years old and from Moldova)
I met with a man in Chisinau through my girl friend. During the meeting, I had a girl friend with me too. He said us we could earn more money as a waitress. By taking the risk of traveling to another country, we accepted the offer because of the difficulties to earn money in Moldova. He arranged our passports and tickets. We were met in airport. We went to a hotel in Kuþadasý. Some men who we met in the hotel said us, we owed to the travel expenses to them and they wanted us to pay back this amount.
Furthermore they said us that we had no other choice but to be involved in prostitution to pay back this amount and they threatened us. They told us we could pay our debt by this way in a month. Escaping from them is nearly impossible. We had to accept. But a month later nothing has changed. Moreover, the pressure on us and the threats was rise. While we were making escape plan, calling helpline in my home country cross my mind. I called La Strada’s line. They said me; I should call 157 Helpline in Turkey. I called 157 helpline and described our location and situation. With in an half an hour policemen came and rescued us with two more girls.
| Country of Origin (2006)
|
Moldova
Russia
Ukraine
Kyrgyzstan
Uzbekistan
Azerbaijan
Georgia
Bulgaria
Belarus
Armenia
|
|
50
28
27
24
13
6
2
2
1
1
|
|
|
Country of Origin (2006)
|
14 to 17
18 to 24
25 to 30
Over 30
|
|
9
89
39
15
|
|
You can’t make a good profit in Istanbul you are suitable for Ankara
(Victim, 23 years old, fromUkraine)
I have 1.5 years old daughter. After I divorced from my husband I started living with my mother, but because of unemployment, me and my mom were suffering from extreme poverty. One man had told one of my girlfriends that we could work in Turkey as waitresses. It was hard for us to find food. I could go to Turkey to earn money and look after my mom and daughter. I met with the man that my friend told me and he helped me to come to Turkey. A man welcomed us in Istanbul Airport then he took us to shopping. He bought light yellow dresses. When we asked what he was doing, he said we owed him money, so we had to work as prostitutes in order to pay back our loan. We didn’t accept and when we start to cry and shout, he beat us and threatened to kill us. But they couldn’t sell us to anyone in Istanbul and they said we weren’t suitable for Istanbul and took us to Ankara. They sold us to men in Ankara. We were seeking for a way to escape but we had no way. My friend called her boyfriend in Ukraine and wanted help. He told us to call 157 Helpline. We called 157 Helpline and requested help. Police came and rescued us from the hotel.
Request for assistance is mainly from Istanbul
Request for assistance is mainly from Istanbul. Istanbul is a hot spot city as a port of entry point and high percentage of trafficked individuals rescued in Ýstanbul too. Antalya, Ýzmir, Trabzon and Ankara follow Istanbul in number of rescued trafficked individuals. The nationalities of women who have been forced into working in prostitution sector in Turkey are mostly Moldovan.
