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Passport Insert |
IOM this month launches the 157
emergency rescue and assistance line for trafficked, and potentially
trafficked, persons. The emergency number will be available 24 hours a day
seven days a week and staffed by three full-time IOM-trained
Russian-speaking operators and a staff of volunteers. It can be accessed
from any phone, anywhere in Turkey free of charge. The program is being
implemented in the framework of the U.S. funded and Turkish government
coordinated "Counter-trafficking Now!" campaign. The 157 program will also
include a non-emergency phone number for information and assistance in
non-critical cases. An international information and awareness campaign to
publicize 157 will accompany the 27 April launch. The campaign will
include a 30-second radio and television ad to run in Moldova (the number
one source country in 2004) and Turkey. IOM research indicates trafficked
individuals maintain access to television and have specific viewing
habits; the advertising campaign will focus on frequently watched
channels. The informational lynchpin of the campaign is small handouts
that will be distributed at key border crossing. The handouts in Russian
and Romanian will publicize the 157 number and include the dangers signs
of trafficking. Community based advertising will be included, as will
posters and other handouts. The passport insert and advertising campaign
builds on key concepts first developed by the IOM Ankara team in Moldova,
favoring an empowering, positive message. To maximize outreach to the
Russian and Romanian speaking target group, promotional material (all in
Russian and Romanian) is being developed by the Chisinau-based ad firm,
behind similar campaigns in Moldova. The launch of the helpline builds on
a two-day training conducted by IOM-Ankara for police operating their own
emergency 155 number. That training developed protocols to maximize
coordination between IOM and police emergency response workers.
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IOM staff discusses trafficking trends |
With the number of trafficked individuals assisted by
IOM-Ankara dramatically on the rise, a troubling new trend is emerging:
Women are being kidnapped, trafficked and forced against their will to
provide sex without pay. In the first three months of 2005, IOM assisted
and returned to their home countries 55 trafficked individuals. (IOM
assisted 62 cases in all of 2004) The number one source country was
Ukraine with 21 trafficked individuals, followed by Moldova with 12 cases
and Russia at 8 cases. Traffickers have to date eschewed forced abductions
in favor of more subtle means, such as false job offers. But this year,
IOM has documented 8 forced abductions (or 15 percent of the current
caseload) in women ranging from 19-29, and all from former Soviet Union
countries. All eight have been abducted at the Istanbul airport by
Russian-speaking traffickers who lure women by offering transportation for
assistance. According to IOM interviews, the eight came to Turkey for
tourism or business, including two women on mid-term break from university
and another seeking a new market for her business. The rise in documented
kidnapping cases has come even as Turkish government and police are
stepping up their enforcement efforts in the context of a human rights
approach. In Adana, the police identified a trafficked individual
under the age of 18 in cooperation with a local social worker, indicating
greater cooperation between police and social workers. Police in Artvin
worked with the local bar association to provide legal representation to 6
trafficked individuals.
As part of the ongoing "Counter-trafficking Now!" campaign, IOM will
launch a new website this month dedicated to counter-trafficking
information and awareness. Beginning April 15, the site will go live and
be a resources for the general online public in Turkey as well as
government, non-governmental and community based organizations. There is
currently no centralized website in Turkey dedicated to
counter-trafficking information. In addition to the latest trends and
counter-trafficking news, the site will include extensive data on
protocols, legal frameworks and other information for academic research.
Also included will be links to IOM missions worldwide, embassies, NGOs and
other counter-trafficking resources.
Building on IOM-Ankara mission strategy to build regional
cooperation, the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation is
scheduled 23 April to sign a memorandum of understanding with IOM. The
agreement solidifies IOM's collaboration with BSEC on migration management
issues and regional economic cooperation. The agreement will also
facilitate information sharing between organizations. IOM is the number
one source for information on patterns and trends for trafficked
individuals. Founded in 1992, and based in Istanbul, BSEC represents 12
nations in the Black Sea Region, from Turkey to Azerbaijan. It's goal is
regional economic cooperation and security.
