TIP IN TURKEY: TURKISH MEDIA ATTENTION, July 31-

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 20 ANKARA 004794

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, July 31-
August 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 local FSN translation.


2. Published by Vatan on Sunday, July 31:

TITLE: HE RAPED ME WHEN I WAS 15

BEGIN TEXT: Dietmar Herbert Egbert Hess, who lives in
Germany, took A.B. to Turkey for vacation after obtaining
her family's permission on July 3, 2000.

After spending their vacation in Kizkalesi, Mersin and
touring the region, Hess rented a house in the Atakent
township of Silifke despite the fact that their six-month
visa expired. Hess allegedly did not allow B. to return
and took away her passport. He kept her with threats.
He raped her and she gave birth to a girl, N., who is now
4 years old. A.B. could not tell anybody her story.

A.B. spoke to her family from time to time but because of
the threats she said that she was happy in Turkey and was
having a good time. So her family did not get
suspicious.

This summer A.B. requested help from, Heidrun Cakmak,
wife of Nuh Cakmak from Sanliurfa, who were on vacation.

B. told her that she was held against her will and that
she was raped. The German woman told the story to her
husband and they applied to the Jandarma. The court
decided to deport Hess, who was under detention rape and
abduction and ordered for turning over A.B. to German
authorities.


B. testified at the police station, where she was taken
with her daughter. She said that she came to Turkey for
vacation with Hess with her family's consent and added,
"After a while I wanted to go back but he prevented me.
He kept preventing me with threats. He raped me and I
got pregnant against my will. I had a daughter. He even
forced me into prostitution. I was talking to me family
on the phone but I could not tell them anything because
of their threats. He was introducing me as his daughter
and my daughter as his grand-daughter. I want to get rid
of him."

Hess denied the accusations and claimed that he did not
rape her. He defended himself by saying, "I knew her
family. So they let her to come to Turkey with me. I
did not return but she decided to stay with me. I never
raped her. Everything happened with her consent."

Hess, B. and their daughter were deported after necessary
paperwork. END TEXT.


3. Published by Tercuman on Monday, August 1:

TITLE: "Hello, we caught your husband with a
prostitute"

BEGIN TEXT: Nurettin Arici, Deputy Police Chief of
Erzurum gave instructions for calling the home of a man
caught with prostitutes and informing the wife.

Arici said that he was fed up with prostitution
incidents.

He said, "Fellow policemen must call the home of a man
caught with a prostitute and tell their wives with
which prostitute the husband was caught. If Erzurum
people do not cooperate with prostitutes and demand
anything from them, these women won't survive here."

Erzurum Bar Association Chief Sadullah Kara reacted to
this decision by saying, "This cannot happen." END
TEXT.


4. Published by Vatan on Monday, August 1:

TITLE: Inform the Wives of Husbands Who Sleep with a
Call Girls

BEGIN TEXT: At a meeting at the Erzurum Police
Department with the local district muhtars, the
prostitution issue came on the agenda.

Suat Gunacar, Muhtar of the Gez District, said that
they called the police about prostitution but that
sufficient measures were not taken.

Nurettin Arici, Deputy Police Chief, at the meeting
explained that according to laws, prostitution was not
a crime. He added that they capture those on whom
there was information and check whether or not they
have venereal disease.

Arici later turned to Hanifi Sambur, the Director for
Public Order and gave the following instructions, "From
now on call the families of all men that you catch.
Tell the wife in particular. Take this as an
instruction. Chief police officers in police centers,
too, must call the homes of men caught with prostitutes
and tell their wives that their husbands were caught
with a prostitute. I'm fed up with them. If Erzurum
people do not cooperate with them, if they do not make
a demand from them, those women won't survive here.
Please take care of your friends. Let's eradicate this
market. I'll call his parents. If he claims that he
does not have a phone, fine, I'll find the phone from
the local muhtar and call his parents and wife. I'll
tell her that I caught her husband with this or that
person. I don't have anything else to do."

While the instruction of the Deputy Police Chief
created a dispute in the town, Erzurum Bar Association
Chief Sadullah Kara reacted by saying, "This cannot
happen. It is not consistent and nobody has such a
luxury. It definitely is not legal. If citizens who
suffer due to this implementation apply to us, we will
do whatever is necessary." END TEXT.


5. Published by Cumhuriyet on Tuesday, August 2:

TITLE: Announcement on Prostitution

BEGIN TEXT: It was reported that media reports that
the police would call the wives of men who were caught
with a prostitutes in Erzurum, were not true.

Erzurum Governor Celalettin Guvenc said that there
won't be such implementation.

Erzurum Acting Police Chief Ahmet Demiral said that
they could not implement something that was not in the
laws. Demiralp said that those remarks were made in
order to serve as deterrence.

Hanifi Sambur, the Chief Police in Charge of Public
Order, noted that he did not make such an announcement
and that his position won't allow him to make such
remarks. END TEXT.


6. Published by Vatan on Tuesday, August 2:

TITLE: Should One Inform or Not Inform the Wife of
Thos Caught with a Prostitute?

BEGIN TEXT: When a local muhtar complained about
prostitution, Erzurum deputy Police Chief Nurettin
Arici, at a public peace at the Police Club, instructed
the police chiefs, "From now on whenever you catch a
man with a prostitute, call their families and tell, in
particular the wives, with which prostitute the husband
was caught I'm fed up with them."

When these reports were published and broadcast in the
media, there was a big reaction. Immediately after
this, Ahmet Demiralp made an announcement and said,
"This is against laws. Certainly we won't make such an
implementation. The Deputy Director might have made
such remarks for them to serve as a deterrent."

But Deputy Police Chief Arici insisted on his earlier
remarks. He even claimed that informing the wives was
in line with CMUK. He said, "We have to inform the
families of those whom we detain."

The remarks of the Bar Association Chief carried the
controversy to a different dimension: "Prostitution is
not a crime. You cannot detain a person who does not
commit a crime. So why should you inform the family?"
Ahmet Demiral, Erzurum Acting Police Chief:
We have no such implementation and I don't think that
we won't have from now on either. It cannot happen.
If it is not a crime according to laws, we cannot show
it as crime. My colleague might have made those
remarks for them to serve as a deterrent.

Nurettin Arici, Deputy Police Chief in Erzurum:
According to CMUK Law Number 5271, we need to inform
the families of those who are detained. Don't we call
the families of those we detain? We do. We will call
the families of those who are caught with prostitutes
as well.
Sadullah Kara, Erzurum Bar Association president:
According to laws, prostitution is not a crime. You
cannot detain a person for an act that is not a crime
in the TPC. So, why would one call his family?
Detaining such people is legally not possible.

Attorney Fatih Volkan:
According to the provisions of the TPC if a man sleeps
with a woman in return for money, this is not a crime.
Similarly there is no punishment for a woman for being
involved in prostitution. On the contrary, if a police
gives away information about the private life of a
person, then this constitutes a crime for misusing
authority and also violating the privacy of personal
life as mentioned in Article 134. It foresees
imprisonment from 6 months to two years or payment of
fine.

What Does CMUK Say?

In the first paragraph of Section 4 of CMUK Law Number
5271, states that when a person is detained r when his
detention period is extended, then with the orders of
the Public Prosecutor, a relative of the detainee or
anybody that he mentions should be informed as soon as
possible.

But experts say that men and women in prostitution are
not committing a crime. Women are treated for VD.
Only those who mediate to prostitution and provide a
place are punished with imprisonment from two to four
years. END TEXT.


7. Published by Hurriyet on Tuesday, August 2:

TITLE: Women Forced into Prostitution with Hot Oil
Were Saved

BEGIN TEXT: Five Ukrainian women, who reportedly were
forced into prostitution by pouring hot oil on them and
by beating, were saved by a Jandarma operation in
Antalya. The Ukrainian women were rejoiced when they
saw the Jandarma.

A woman, who called the Hotline 157 on human
trafficking, said that they were forced into
prostitution and that they were kept in the dark in a
shelter. She gave the address.

Since the house was located outside the police district
and in the Guzelyurt district of Calkaya area, the
information was passed over to the Antalya Jandarma
Regiment Command.

The Jandarma captured in the 3-storey house O.S. (42),
who already has a criminal record, and his son M.S.
(19).

When the Jandarma heard voices coming from underground
in the garden, they noticed that voices were coming
from a place covered with pebble stones. The Jandarma
cleared the pebbles and discovered a shelter.

In the four square meters shelter they found five
Ukrainian women sleeping in one bed. When the women
saw the Jandarma, they were rejoiced.
There was no lighting in the shelter. There was only a
fan. There was no washroom or shower either. The
women said that they were forced to work in the
luxurious rooms of the 3-storey house in the evenings
and later they were put back in the shelter.

The Ukrainian women said that they were served only
breakfast. Y.M. (20),N.P. (20),O.S. (35),K.A. (17)
and N.T. (27) said that they were brought to Antalya
with an offer of a job. They have been forced into
prostitution for ten months.

Y.M. said that their passports were taken away from
them at the airport. She went on, "We were locked up
in the shelter. When we refused to be involved in
prostitution, we were beaten. The father and son
poured hot oil on my legs and genitals. They tortured
me on the face. Marks of torture still are visible."
She showed her legs.

N.T. said that O.S. married to her on paper and she
began to use the name "Hulya Seker." She reportedly
was forced into prostitution every night.

O.S. and his son M.S. were detained and sent to the
Judicial Hall since they were accused of being
"involved in human trafficking," "forcing women into
prostitution" and "mediating for prostitution."

The Ukrainian women said that they would like to return
home. After taking their testimony, authorities sent
them to the Judicial Hall. Later they were sent to the
Foreigners' Police to be sent to their country. END
TEXT.


9. Published in Milliyet on Tuesday, August 2nd. This is
the third part of columnist Can Dundar's series on the Black
Sea region.

BEGIN TEXT: The "Natasha epidemic" lasted for ten
years and led to the separation of hundreds of
families, women who are trying to look like Natashas
and establishment of hundreds of beauty salons.

Dundar went to the Comlekci district, the first place
these women came after the breakup of the Soviet Union.
When the Sarp border gate opened in 1989, initially 15
people came and after a decade, this figure has reached
280,000.

He noted that while people were coming initially for
suitcase trade, later well-educated and pretty but poor
women were brought by human traffickers in mass and put
in the hotels in the Comlekci District.

Men from villages were selling their tractors and
coming to these hotels and a "hotel Mafia" took over
the operation.

After ten years the police said "Enough," and cleaned
up the hotels. In 2004 to 2005, 4000 women were
deported for prostitution and Natashas left the town.

Dundar wrote that today Comlekci looked like a town in
ruins after a hurricane. On both sides of the street
there are many hotels lined up. Small businessmen are
not joyful. There are a few Georgian and Azeri women
in the street.

He noted that Natashas, who led to a tremor in the
social life of Trabzon for ten years, have moved
further South, leaving behind a town that was
psychologically, socially and sexually shattered.

Dundar referred to a "damage report for the region
where divorces increased after the arrival of foreign
women:
- In 2003 in Eastern Black Sea region 1730 couples
divorced.
- Divorces in Trabzon doubled in the last four years.
- In Gumushane in 1999, 25 couples got divorced. In
2003 this figure reached 1005. In other words,
divorces increased 40 percent.

Dundar also referred to "false" marriages for obtaining
work permits for foreign women.
He stated that today Trabzon is dressing its wounds.
"The Natashas have left but while leaving they changed
the Black Sea men and women," Dundar wrote.
He quoted a woman attorney in Trabzon as saying that
after the Natasha epidemic, there has been less rape
cases and that women had an easier time walking in the
street. She said, "The Black Sea men have changed.
They learned to take a shower everyday and use
fragrance. They also learned how to drink and dance
properly with women. These were things that he was not
doing with his own wife.... Many women bore (the
burden) of having adulterous husbands. The idol for
most was Hulya Avsar. They were saying, 'Even if a
successful woman such as Avsar bears this, is it worth
for me to end the marriage?'"

Later the Black Sea women began to look for ways for
being prettier. You can see dozens of beauty salons on
the main streets of Trabzon.

One of them is "Formed" that opened a year ago. Dr.
Tartan Kalaycioglu said that they received 420 clients
in one year. He added, "The Black Sea men in the past
did not come to such places. In the last decade they,
too, became more concerned about their looks. In the
past it was mostly women who wanted to get rid of
excessive hair. Now the number of men between 25-40
has increased...."

What is more interesting was the fact that this was
valid in the rural areas as well. A beauty salon
opened last month in Besikduzu sub-province.

Dundar wrote that some real love stories, too, took
place and there were men who made happy marriages with
foreign brides. These couples now were raising a brand-
new mix-race Black Sea generation.
--

Dundar interviewed attorney Sibel Suicmez. Full
translation follows:

- What was the cost of Natashas to the Black Sea
region?
- A four dimensional sociological phenomenon took place
for man, both women and the children. This is another
type of Chernobyl. Women went through a psychological
trauma. They still use pills but not speak (out).
Most of them had their husbands working in other
places. In other words, they were not together anyway.
There was a tacit acceptance. But for the first time
they had to face the reality of a second woman. Some
men brought foreign woman to their home and took her to
their bed. Their wife and children had to listen to
them in the room next door. What could she do? Many
of them accepted.

- Were there some who went to the police?
- They come to ask "What can I do?" She cannot
criticize the man. Some of them chose the wrong target
and entered a struggle against these women. Some
others thought that they had deficiencies and tried to
look like the foreign women. At one point all women in
Trabzon turned blond. Women, who were working all day
in the field, put fragrance on and began to serve their
husbands. Everybody was focused on the supply part of
the incident. Those who were demanding, in other
words, the men, got away with it. In fact the moral
behavior of men should have been discussed. But men
might have a different story to tell.

- Children?
- An unhealthy new generation came out. The kids of
the separated couples were there in the middle. With
the arrival of foreigners, the domestic prostitution,
too, was triggered. There were reports that some girls
from the universities were serving as "escorts."
Police had records on kids as young as nine for
prostitution.
Dundar also interviewed Ibrahim Azcan, Trabzon Deputy
Police Chief. Full translation follows:

Ibrahim Azcan, the Deputy Police Chief in Trabzon, is
the most sympathetic policeman that I've seen in recent
years. He regards the issue not like a policeman but
as a sociologist. He has written two books. Soon his
book on Natashas will be published. He wrote this book
after talking to foreign women and also adding his own
observations.

- The Natasha business seems to have ended in the Black
Sea region. How did this happen?
- Yes, it began to melt down in 1990s. Trabzon is a
port town. It is a gateway to Russia. I know that at
one point five ships were taking off each week and
cafes were full of women. Many new hotels opened in
1990s. Now their numbers are less. But this was not
due to the police. The society got used to it and came
to a saturation point and it (the prostitution
business) began to come down.

- What has remained?
- The social damage was grave. The number of divorces
was high. Illegitimate children were born. But on the
other hand, the man and woman realized the value of
their own spouse. There was a social transformation.
In that regard, there was both a progress and
regression.

- It is claimed that the number of child molesting and
rape cases dropped after Natashas...
- I do not agree. If that were the case, such things
would never take place in Russia. But Russia is one of
the countries that experience a rough form of child
exploitation. The decrease in such incidents might be
because of an increase in the education level.

- Did the police turned a blind-eye to what was
happening initially?
- According to laws, it is not a crime if a man enters
a sexual intercourse with a woman in return for money.
I do not have the right to go to the hotel and take
them out. But if there is an organized prostitution as
part of human trafficking, or if the woman does not
have a visa or if she is sick, then we have the right
to interfere. We take them and deport but human
traffickers change the name of those women and send
them back with new passports.

- What is the amount of money involved?
- There has been a serious money flow. There were
clients coming from Erzurum and Agri. One of the
Natashas that I talked to told me that she was taking
three to five clients each day. She was sending back
$2000 each month to her country. In a province where
there are 1000 Natashas working, at least $2 million
must have been sent abroad each month.

- What type of people were the Natashas that you
interviewed?
- Most of them were well-cultured women. But they all
had problems in their lives. They looked for economic
welfare and liberation. They were involved in
prostitution out of necessity. They had serious
cultural differences with the men they used to be.
Some of them were very stubborn. There were some who
did not let the man approach them without making the
man perform religious prayers first.

- What about the Black Sea women?
- She was influenced both positively and negatively.
Many of them stayed with their men but the number of
divorces increased a lot as well. We do not yet know
the cost. The university must hold a study.

- What is the solution?
- This is an issue of demand and supply. As long as
there is the demand, it is hard (to solve) it. It
cannot be solved (solely) through law-enforcement
measures.

- What should be done for Natashas?
- Their bosses tell these women, "We are cooperating
with the police and if you tip off the police, it will
be your end." Women are being worked as if they are
slaves. When we capture one, we put them in the
detention center. But they need psychological support
and security. We need to help socially, economically
and also from a humanitarian aspect these women who are
victims of human trafficking. Women shelters which are
administered not by the state but by NGOs must be
established where women from similar nationality work.
END TEXT.


10. Published by Milliyet on Wednesday, August 3:
TITLE: Prostitution Torture with Hot Oil

BEGIN TEXT: The Jandarma saved four Ukrainian women,
who reportedly were forced into prostitution by being
subject to torture, following a call to the 157 Hot
Line in Antalya.

According to information from the Antalya Provincial
Jandarma Command, Jandarma Teams from Smuggling and
Organized Crimes Unit, upon a call they received,
searched a 3-storey house encircled with high walls and
barbed wire in Guzelyurt district. The house was owned
by O.S., who has a criminal record for "mediating for
prostitution" and "kidnapping girls."

The team in the garden noticed that the base of a hut
made of straw in the garden was covered with pebbles.
When they removed the pebble and a blanket, they
noticed an iron lid. When they opened it, they found
an underground room and Y.M. (20),N.P. (20),O.A. (37)
and K.A.

In this room the Jandarma found a vent and a bed made
of blankets and comforters.

O.S. (45),who is the owner of the house, and his son
M.S. (18) were detained and the investigation was
further expanded.

They discovered that the four women came to Antalya ten
months ago to work. O.S. took away their passports and
with threats and beating had forced them into
prostitution.

Authorities said that these women were subject to
inhumane treatment, including pouring hot oil on them.
They were kept in that secret room for two months. The
women will be sent back to their country whenever they
want.

Y.M.said that their passports were taken away at the
airport. She said, "We were locked up in the shelter.
When we refused to be involved in prostitution, we were
beaten. The father and son poured hot oil on my legs
and genitals. They tortured me on the face. I carry
the signs of torture."

N.T. claimed that they were forced into prostitution
every night.

The father and son were detained for getting their
testimony. Later they were sent to a judge. END TEXT.


11. Published by Tercuman on Wednesday, August 3:

TITLE: Prostitution Torture

BEGIN TEXT: Four foreign women, brought to Antalya and
forced into prostitution ten months ago, were saved by
a Jandarma operation.

Osman Seker and his son Mehmet Seker kept the four
women with a method used by Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein
when he was hiding from U.S. troops.

After somebody called the 157 Hot Line, the Jandarma
raided a house in the Calkaya districts Guzelyurt
region. When the Jandarma noticed in the garden of the
3-storey house a den whose lid is covered with sand,
they opened it and found four foreign women.
Four women of Russian nationality whose ages are
between 17 to 37, began to cheer with happiness when
they saw the Jandarma who saved them.
Osman Seker, who is known as "Hazir Osman" and his son
Mehmet, who were at the house during the raid, were
detained.

The women filed a complaint against the suspects and
said, "They told us that there were jobs in Turkey but
we were forced into prostitution in Antalya. When we
objected, they poured hot oil on our body. They beat
us and inflicted torture. They took away our passports
to prevent us from fleeing. We requested our clients
to help us. We want to go back home." END TEXT.


12. Published by Cumhuriyet on Wednesday, August 3:

TITLE: Forced into Prostitution with Hot Oil

BEGIN TEXT: Jandarma teams raided a house upon a call
to the 157 Hot Line and saved four Ukrainian women who
were tortured by pouring hot oil on them and forced
into prostitution for months in Antalya.

These women were found in the basement of a 3-storey
house of O.S. (48) who has a criminal record for
kidnapping girls. O.S. and his son M.S. (18) were
detained.

These women were locked up in the basement for two
months and were forced into prostitution. END TEXT.


13. Published by Hurriyet on Wednesday, August 3:

TITLE: Five Sex Slaves in a Shelter of 4 Square Meters

BEGIN TEXT: A woman who called the 157 Hot Line in
Antalya and gave an address in the Calkaya District
claiming that they were forced into prostitution and
kept in a shelter.

The Jandarma carried out an operation and captured
Osman Seker (42) and his son Mehmet (19).

The Jandarma noticed that voices were coming from the
basement of a hut in the garden.

After clearing the pebble stone, the Jandarma noticed a
shelter. They used a ladder to go down and saw five
Ukrainian women in a 4 square meter shelter. The women
sheered when they saw the Jandarma.

Y.M. (20),N.P. (20),O.A. (35),N.T. (27) and K.A.(17)
said that they were brought to Antalya with promises of
employment but forced into prostitution for ten months.

Y.M. said that their passports were taken away and
added, "We were locked up in the shelter. We were
beaten when we refused to be involved in prostitution.
The father and son poured hot oil on my legs and
genitals. They inflicted torture on my face." She
showed her legs.

The Ukrainian women were turned over to the police for
deportation. END TEXT.


14. Carried by Radikal on Wednesday, August 3:

TITLE: Horror House in Antalya: Nightmare Ended With a
Call to 157

BEGIN TEXT: Five women who were brought to Antalya
with a job offer were locked up in a 4 square meter
shelter underground. When the women resisted to forced
prostitution, they were subject to terrible torture.

A call to the 157 Hot Line disclosed a savagery in
Antalya. A woman called the hot line and said that
they were forced into prostitution. She gave the
address of the house in the Cankaya District of the
Guzelyurt region.
Upon this call the Antalya Jandarma Regiment Command
teams yesterday carried out an operation on a 3-storey
house where Osman Seker (42) who has a criminal record
for mediating for prostitution and for human
trafficking, and his son Murat (19) live.

The father and son were detained when jandarma heard
voices coming from the basement of a hut in the garden.
They removed the blanket covered with pebble stone and
noticed a shelter. With a ladder they went down the
shelter and found Ukrainian Y.M. (20),N.P. (20),O.S.
(35),K.A. (17) and N.T. (27).

There was no washroom in the shelter and air
circulation was carried out with a single vent. The
women said that in the evenings they were taken to the
luxurious rooms of the house and forced into
prostitution. After their jobs were over, these women
were put back in the shelter. They said that they were
only given breakfast. They noted that they were
brought to Antalya with promises of job offers but
forced into prostitution for ten months.

Y.M. said that their passport was taken away from them
at the airport and went on, "We were locked up in the
shelter. We were beaten when we did not want to be
involved in prostitution. The father and son poured
hot oil on my legs and genitals. They tortured me on
the face. Signs of torture are still on me."

N.T. said that Osman Seker married to her on paper and
she began to use the name Hulya Seker. She said,
"Every night I was forced into prostitution."

Osman Seker and his son Murat, after being detained,
testified and were sent to the prosecutor for having
committed the crimes of making human trafficking,
forcing people into prostitution and mediating for
prostitution.

The Ukrainian women to testified and were sent to the
judicial hall. They were given to the Antalya Police
Foreigners Department for deportation. END TEXT.


15. Also carried by Radikal on Wednesday, August 3:

TITLE: Six Women Rejoiced in 45 Days

BEGIN TEXT: The 157 Hot Line, a project by IOM
attached to the UN, which demonstrated the scary scope
of women trafficking in Turkey, became operational on
May 23, 2005.

According to data by IOM, 187 people called the hot
line with genuine reasons in 45 days and six victims
were saved.

The IOM campaign aims at saving and protecting
potential human trafficking victims coming to Turkey
from neighboring countries, including Moldova and the
Ukraine.

Many people call the 157 Hot Line but many call out of
curiosity.

From May 23 to July 6, 2005, 187 genuine calls came to
the hot line and 69 of them were giving tips, including
49 from neighbors and 20 by victims themselves. When
authorities evaluated the calls, six victims were saved
from the hands of smugglers. END TEXT.


16. The following column by Oral Calislar appeared in
"Cumhuriyet" on Wednesday, August 3:

TITLE: Calling the Wife of a Man Caught with a
Prostitute

BEGIN TEXT: When the newspapers began to carry reports
that prostitution was spreading in Erzurum, local
administrators were mobilized. Nurettin Arici, Deputy
Police Chief of Erzurum, the other day at the Police
Club said that they would inform the wives of men
caught with a prostitute. This report got prominent
coverage in our paper.

This was what the Deputy Police chief said but the
Erzurum Governor and Police Chief did not think alike.
Governor Celalettin Guvenc noted that the police was
working hard to fight against prostitution in the city
and that this fight would be carried out within the
boundaries of law. The Governor concluded his remarks
by saying, "My colleagues made such an announcement as
a solution but there won't be any such implementation."

After the report was covered in the media, I thought
about it: What kind of a situation would be created if
the wives of men caught with prostitutes were informed?
Certainly, there should first be a common understanding
of what prostitution is. According to the general
belief in Turkey, prostitution means a married man
having sex with a woman in return for money. Well, can
a married woman be with a man in return for money? I
don't think that this was ever imagined.

Is it prostitution if a married man goes to a brothel?
A brothel is a legal place and one does not ask whether
or not clients are married. Then it may not be called
prostitution. The type of prostitution in Erzurum that
the police was talking about, looks as though it was
unlicensed sexual contact.

In the summer supplements and social pages of the
newspapers all reports talk about love. It is hard to
track down who is with whose wife or husband. Nobody
thinks whether those (relationships) would be
considered prostitution. In a way such things are
considered normal. Nobody thinks that they commit a
prostitution crime and there should be legal action
against them. Maybe there are those who think that
there should be legal action but since such a thing
would lead to a scandal, they only talk about it.

Activities of the high society and stars at summer
resorts are considered normal but the same thing is not
considered normal in Erzurum. But we are aware that
there are situations that are considered normal even in
Anatolian towns, such as Erzurum: men can be involved
with a woman aside from their wives. This is what
every man should do. Both women and men are aware of
this (fact).

Erzurum is known to be a conservative town. In recent
years people refer to a booming prostitution in other
conservative towns, such as Erzurum, as well. I wonder
why? It is not possible to think that women approve of
their husbands' relations with other women. But in our
culture, in which men have superiority, polygamy
continues. Women unwillingly accept this situation.

Women do not like the idea of men to be with other
women in return for money. But still they do not raise
their voice much by saying that men would do such
things.

The real problem will arise if the wife of a man caught
with another woman is informed. What would women do in
such a situation? Since they won't say, "I'm glad that
you did," they should show a reaction. How many women
can challenge or show a reaction to a husband who holds
the purse strings and in a culture that holds men
superior? The reaction that she would show, may get
her in further trouble.

A man may beat his wife or throw her from the house if
the wife nags a lot over such an issue or makes a fuss.

Since the Erzurum Governor and the Police Chief were
aware of this culture in our country, they gave up
implementing (the method suggested by the deputy Police
chief). What type of an image would husbands captured
with another women and their wives coming to police
station portray? Eventually women would be suffering
(more) for such incidents because it is this culture
that cherishes supremacy of men that is behind
prostitution as well? Is it not the man who thinks
that he has the right to be with more than one woman?

I believe the meaning of prostitution differ a lot from
country to country, city to city and culture to
culture. Maybe it needs to be re-defined. END TEXT.


17. Published by Vatan on Saturday, August 6:

TITLE: Blow to Prostitution Mafia

BEGIN TEXT: Anjelika A., a Turkmenistan citizen, was
caught in the Fatih District of Istanbul without a
passport. She said that she was lured into Turkey by
promises of becoming a hair dresser but those people
who brought her forced her into prostitution. Upon
this testimony the policy carried out an operation.

The Police Foreigners Department teams raided some
addresses in Fatih and detained five people, including
two women.

It was discovered that the ring leader was Cabbar E.
and that Anna C., who was a Moldavian and adopted
Turkish citizenship was bringing women from different
countries to Turkey.

In searches police rescued eight more women from
Russia, Kyrgysiztan, Turkmenistan and Moldova.

Selim U., Liliya K., Anna C., Aziz K. and Cabbar E.,
were sent to the prosecutor with the accusation of
being involved in human trafficking, forming a gang for
committing a crime and forcing women into prostitution.
While Selim U., and Liliya K. were set free to be tried
on release, the others were arrested and put in jail.
END TEXT.


18. Reported by Sabah on Sunday, August 7:

TITLE: They Entered Happy But Came Out Sad

BEGIN TEXT: Hair-rising results were obtained at the
health check ups of 120 women captured during Jandarma
Regiment Command operations on 32 hotels, pensions,
houses in five sub-provinces in Istanbul.

It was discovered that six of the women were carrying
HIV virus and 39 women had venereal disease.

Upon these operations carried out simultaneously
against the international prostitution network in
Silivri, Beylikduzu, Buyukcekmece, Eesenyurt and
Kumburgaz, the men involved with these women were
surveyed. The Jandarma appealed to the men who were
with women from Russia, Moldavia and Ukraine and asked
them to go to a hospital as soon as possible.

The medical check up was carried out at the Cankurtaran
Skin and Venereal Diseases Hospital and 70 of the 120
women already were deported. END TEXT.


19. Published by Tercuman on Sunday, August 7:

TITLE: Spreading Disease

BEGIN TEXT: The Istanbul Provincial Jandarma Regiment
Command carried out simultaneous operations against an
international prostitution network in Silivri,
Beylikduzu, Buyukcekmece, Esenyurt, Kumburgaz and
Eminonu.

The 32 hotels, pensions and houses were raided by the
Jandarma teams and 120 women, who were determined to be
involved in prostitution, from Russia, Moldavia and
Ukraine were detained.

In their medical check up, it was seen that six of
these women had HIV virus, 26 had gonorrhea, seven had
fungus and other microbiotic infections.
The Jandarma teams tried to figure out with how many
men these women slept and appealed to men who were with
these women to go to a hospital as soon as possible.
The operations will continue and 70 of the women were
deported. END TEXT.


20. Published by Cumhuriyet on Sunday, August 7:

TITLE: Six Foreign Women HIV Positive

BEGIN TEXT: It was determined that six of the 68
foreign women, who were detained during a crackdown on
prostitution in Buyukcekmece and Silivri, were HIV
positive.
Six of these women, including four Moldavians and two
Russians, had HIV, while 31 women had venereal disease.

It was learned that the 68 women who were processed at
the Foreigners' Department will be deported.

Meanwhile, five people were detained in a raid on a
house in Fatih for forcing seven women into
prostitution. Three of them were arrested. END TEXT.


21. Published by Milliyet on Sunday, August 7:

TITLE: Six HIV Positive in a Prostitution Operation

BEGIN TEXT: Six of the 68 foreign women detained for
prostitution during operations in Buyukcekmece and
Silivri were HIV positive.

The 68 women from Russia, Ukraine, Turkmenistan,
Kyrgyzstan and Moldavian were taken for a medical check
up and it was determined that four Moldavians and two
Russian, in other words six women were HIV positive and
31 women had venereal disease. The 68 women will be
deported. END TEXT.


22. Reported by Vatan on Sunday, August 7:

TITLE: Prostitution Operations in Full Speed

BEGIN TEXT: Sixty-eight women from Russia, Ukraine,
Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Moldavia were captured
during an operation in Buyukcekmece and Silivri in
Istanbul were sent to a venereal disease hospital.

It was seen that six women, including four Moldavians
and two Russians, were HIV positive, while 31 of them
had venereal disease. Those who had sexual contact
with these women were asked to report to a hospital.

Meanwhile, M.S., N.S., and S.K. were detained in
Silifke, Mersin for taking away the passports of
foreign women and forcing them into prostitution.

M.S. was arrested and the other two were set free
pending trial. END TEXT.


23. Published by Aksam on Sunday, August 7:

TITLE: Six of them Are HIV Positive

BEGIN TEXT: Sixty-eight women from Russia, Moldova,
Ukraine, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan, who were detained
for prostitution during operations in Buyukcekmece and
Silivri, were sent to a venereal disease hospital after
necessary (paper) work.

It was discovered that six of the women were HIV
positive. Four of them were from Moldova and two from
Russia. The police said that 31 women had venereal
disease and asked men who had sexual contact with these
women to report to the closest hospital and take
necessary tests.

The women were taken to the foreigners department for
deportation. END TEXT.


24. Published by Turkish Daily News on Sunday, August 7:

TITLE: IOM commends progress in counter human-
trafficking increased prosecution
BEGIN TEXT: Turkey has made significant progress in
efforts to stop human trafficking over the past couple
of years but the prosecution of traffickers still needs
to be increased as the country takes steps in the
direction of achieving a "model success" in dealing
with one of the worst forms of crime, according to the
International Organization for Migration (IOM).

"We must be able to set an example to traffickers in
order for them to understand that Turkey does not
condone this form of crime," said Marielle Sander-
Lindstrom, chief of mission of the IOM's Turkey office.

The revised Turkish Penal Code (TCK),which came into
force on June1, includes an article, Article 80 that
calls for prison terms of eight to 12 years for
traffickers, but prosecutors have mostly tended to use
other articles that regulate prostitution, sticking to
an old habit that was sanctioned under the old TCK.

Sander-Lindstrom, in an interview with the Turkish
Daily News, said the degree of familiarity with Article
80 among judges and prosecutors should increase.

"These [the article's provisions] were placed into
Turkish law specifically for Turkey to be able to fight
human trafficking, which is an international crime,"
she said. "Turkey is doing its part and prosecutors
should support Turkey in this by applying the correct
articles."

Turkey, a destination country for increasingly many
women-mostly from the former Soviet republics-who have
been trafficked primarily for sexual exploitation,
introduced an action plan and launched a national task
force two years ago to cope with this issue, which is
widely seen as a modern-day form of slavery. The
efforts were in response to a surge over the past few
years in the number of persons trafficked into Turkey,
mostly in parallel to improving living standards and
job opportunities here.

The improving standards ensuing from European Union
membership prospects presents a situation heavily
exploited by human traffickers, who sometimes lure
young women with promises of regular employment but
which ultimately results in forced prostitution, debt
and various forms of abuse including forced
confinement, control of personal documents such as
passports and threats. In 2004, authorities identified
266 victims of human trafficking across Turkey but
officials say this is just the "tip of the iceberg."
Thus far this year, the IOM has provided assistance to
some 117 victims of trafficking, mostly from the former
Soviet republics, identified throughout several
provinces of Turkey.

The Geneva-based IOM, which Turkey joined in 2004, is a
major ally of the Turkish government in counter-
trafficking efforts.

In June, the IOM, in close coordination with the
Turkish government, launched the first major multi-
country prevention campaign to combat human trafficking
across Turkey and main source countries in Eastern
Europe and the former Soviet countries.

The $700,000 campaign, funded by the U.S. government,
is meant to raise awareness, step up legal training for
law enforcement and provide medical and other
assistance to the victims of human trafficking. The
IOM is also promoting Turkey's 157 hotline for the
rescue of trafficked individuals both in Turkey and
three main source countries of the victims, namely
Ukraine, Romania and Moldova.

Travelers from source countries to Turkey are also
warned of the dangers of trafficking through inserts
put into their passports at ports of entry into Turkey,
provided by Turkish embassies in the countries
concerned.

Miracle of 157:

The fruits of the counter-trafficking efforts are not
difficult to see. Last week, Turkish police rescued
five Ukrainian women who were tortured with boiling oil
and imprisoned in a basement by human traffickers in
the southern province of Antalya after they contacted
the 157 hotline and requested help.

Sander-Lindstrom said a total of 17 victims of human
trafficking, including the five Ukrainians, have been
rescued after calls to the 157 hotline over the past
two months, since the three-digit line was launched.
The rescued victims include nine Ukrainians, five
Moldovans and one Romanian as well as two Turks. Eight
others, who are yet to be described as victims although
they have been identified as such because they still
await payment from people they say employed them,
remain as suspected trafficking victims.

In addition to rescue operations and a referral system
where the 157 hotline system works with police and the
gendarmerie to coordinate the rescue of the victims,
authorities have also taken steps to provide shelter
for the rescued victims, with the preparations in their
final stage to open a shelter in Ankara in addition to
a 12-person capacity shelter already open in Istanbul.
The IOM is planning to work with bar associations to
provide free legal assistance to the victims.

"Turkey has for many years been the missing link in
this region and it has now moved to fill this gap,"
said Sander-Lindstrom. "What remains is to expand the
network of NGOs [nongovernmental organizations]
providing assistance in Turkey, and we also need to
work with judges and prosecutors to put the
perpetrators behind bars."

Turkish NGOs, which the IOM says could be extremely
helpful in providing shelter and assistance that the
victims would need, either know nothing about the human
trafficking problem or are unwilling to address it
because they think it is about prostitution, according
to Sander-Lindstrom. END TEXT.



25. Published by Turkish Daily News on Sunday, August 7:

TITLE: Anti-trafficking drive on course. Turkey has
come a long way in a short period of time in the fight
against human trafficking, but prosecution of
perpetrators needs to be increased, as the only way to
stop trafficking is to hurt traffickers, says the IOM.

BEGIN TEXT: Turkey has taken giant strides to combat
human trafficking over the past couple of years,
raising public awareness and introducing legal
provisions to punish traffickers, but more perpetrators
need to be prosecuted vigorously for Turkey to send a
clear message that it does not condone this extreme
form of international crime, the chief official of the
International Office for Migration (IOM) said.

"The law is there, but it is not properly applied,"
said Marielle Sander-Lindstrom, chief of the mission of
IOM's Turkey office, in an interview with the Turkish
Daily News. "Turkey can be very strong if the
authorities concerned just use the tools that they
already have."

The new Turkish Penal Code (TCK) contains an article
that stipulates eight to 12-year prison terms for
traffickers, but prosecutors still prefer to use other
articles regulating prostitution, she said.

IOM's efforts in Turkey, which are closely coordinated
with the Turkish government, are bearing fruit, with
the police having rescued a total of 17 victims of
trafficking following calls made to the 157 hotline-a
national, toll-free telephone help line that has been
operational for two months. In a sign of growing
public awareness on the issue, an overwhelming majority
of calls have been from men who are clients of the
trafficked women forced into prostitution. END TEXT.


26. Published by Turkish Daily News on Sunday, August 7:

TITLE: Raising awareness, changing perceptions

BEGIN TEXT: Turkey's 157 hotlines for the rescue of
victims of human trafficking has received the majority
of calls since its launch two months ago from men, the
bulk of whom were clients of those trafficked and
forced into prostitution, data from the Geneva-based
International Organization for Migrants (IOM) shows.
The hotline, which operations 24 hours a day and seven
days a week, has received a total of 130 calls over the
past two months requesting emancipation from the
unfortunate circumstances the callers find themselves
in. The IOM data reveals that 95 calls were from
clients and others, with only 35 coming from the
perceived victims themselves.

The figures highlight a gradual shift in the way women,
mostly from the former Soviet republics, are trafficked
for purposes of sexual exploitation in the Turkish
Republic, according to Marielle Sander-Lindstrom, chief
of mission of IOM's Turkey office.

"Usually, the clients visit these women and they tend
to think the women are regular prostitutes and that
they want to do it," she told the Turkish Daily News in
an interview. "But as they get to know the women, they
realize that they are trapped and enslaved and want to
rescue them."

Women from the former Soviet republics have long been
viewed as willing workers in the prostitution sector in
Turkey and all of them were lumped together as
"Natashas" in the eyes of the Turkish public, who has
paid little attention to the differences between
willing labor and trafficked persons forced into
prostitution through ill-treatment and even torture.

The IOM and the Turkish government are aiming to raise
public awareness with a view to giving the public an
accurate picture of the reality, which authorities
think would be an asset in counter-trafficking efforts.

"That's why there is such a need for awareness at local
community level because people are very quick to judge.
But once they understand the whole story they become
sympathetic," Sander-Lindstrom said.

She said a change in the way the Turkish media
approaches the issue by focusing not at the
prostitution aspect but on the element of organized
crime behind the issue and the victims was also very
positive. END TEXT.


27. Reported by (Internet) Athens News agency on Sunday,
August 7:

TITLE: Turkish Driver Arrested in Greece for
Transporting Three Illegal Immigrants

BEGIN FBIS TRANSCRIBED TEXT: A Turkish car driver was
arrested on Sunday [7 Aug] by border guards in Lavara,
Didymotiho, in northern Greece for illegally
transporting three fellow-countrymen illegal immigrants
into the country.

The Turkish trafficker had entered Greece legally from
the border post Kypon, Evros and later picked up the
illegal immigrants, with the purpose, for pay, to
advance them to the interior of the country.

All the arrested will appear before the Orestiada
public prosecutor. END TEXT.


28. Published by Chisinau Infotag on Monday, August 8:
TITLE: Moldovan NGO Publishes Human-Trafficking
Research

BEGIN FBIS-TRANSLATED TEXT: Chisinau, 8 August: The
International Centre for Women's Rights Protection and
Promotion La Strada presented the first analytical
research entitled "Human trafficking in Moldova:
commentaries, trends and recommendations" at a news
conference on Monday 8 August.

Ana Revenco, chairwoman of the La Strada centre, said
the research is based on 2001-04 statistics data of the
La Strada international programme on preventing
trafficking in women in Central and Eastern Europe.

"The goal of the research is to see what are the
hallmarks of human trafficking in Moldova, factors
contributing to this negative phenomenon and its
development trends," she said.

Revenco said the research could become a basis for
developing new strategies on fighting human trafficking
as it contains many valuable recommendations on how to
prevent it.

One of the authors of the study, Tatiana Fomina, said
the research is based on surveys carried out among 150
human trafficking victims and 105 NGOs and institutions
dealing with human trafficking, as well as hotline
calls.

[Passage omitted: minor details]

The research shows that most victims are unmarried
women aged under 25 coming from rural parts of Moldova.
It also points to a significant increase in the number
of trafficked children recently. As a rule, victims
are employed for sexual purposes or begging.

The head of the human trafficking department of the
Prosecutor General's Office, Eugen Rusu, said the
research is extremely important to both police and
general public.

"So far, we have opened 700 criminal cases against
people charged with human trafficking. Thirty-seven
people were convicted on such charges in 2003, 97 in
2004 and 50 in the first half of 2005," he said.

Under Moldovan legislation, people found guilty of
human trafficking risk up to 25 years in prison and
various fines. The 500-copy research has been issued
in three languages-Romanian, Russian and English-and is
to be distributed free of charge among members of the
public and NGOs engaged in fighting human trafficking
in Moldova, as well as international structures.

[The same research shows that over 46 per cent of
Moldovan women who went to Turkey in 2004 were forced
into prostitution. The figure is 33 per cent higher
than in 2001, according to the Moldovan news agency
Basapress, Chisinau, in Moldovan.] END TEXT.


29. Published by Hurriyet on Friday, August 12:

TITLE: WATCH OUT IN BODRUM

BEGIN TEXT: Celal Capa, a prominent manager of the
entertainment sector complained that families in Bodrum
were not showing due attention to their children who
were 13-14 and that these kids were providing services
for high prices.

Speaking to "Tempo" magazine, Capa made some striking
assessments: "There are some big brothers and not so
conscious girls who are wandering around. Their
parents almost all are the same. These are girls who
look alike. Meanwhile, some youngsters are working
hard for taking these girls from one place to the other
and no entertainer says they won't admit them in since
they spend a lot of money. Streets and corners are
full of 14-18-year old kids."
Capa asked, "How can entertainers take care of these
kids when their families don't?... Let families not
leave their kids alone. Am I supposed to be more
responsible for those kids than their parents who do
not know where their children are at midnight?" (He
went commenting about the house prices in Bodrum and
that it was not worth buying property that would be
used for two months each year....)

"Tempo" reportedly spoke to D.U. (22),who was raped in
the Bodrum street of bars when she was 13. The young
woman told the weekly, "I have many girl friends who
fled their homes. They participate in orgies in Bodrum
for money. They go to 5-star hotels with rich men.
They each get $150. The age of these girls is 15 or

16. In recent years usage of drugs went up." END
TEXT.


30. Published by Vatan on Sunday, August 14:

BEGIN TEXT: We no longer are surprised with the
newspaper reports on foreign women who were forced into
prostitution by inflicting torture.

A great majority of these women, who have been coming
to Turkey for approximately ten years, have been
fleeing poverty in their country and they willingly and
knowingly get involved in prostitution in order to earn
money. But there are also victimized women who were
deceived to be brought to Turkey and who were forced
into prostitution by human traffickers. For some time
countries where such problems are seen have been doing
work for such victims with U.S. pressure.

Turkey has been trying to resolve it at a high level
since it realized the problem.

Everyday hundreds of calls come to the hotline 157,
established by the IOM to rescue women victims. Hence,
relevant ministries and IKGV, under the surveillance of
the MFA, joined forces in order to reach the victims.
The IKGV shelter opened recently. Women receive
support at the shelter and enable these women to return
to their countries.

Tuba Dundar, an administrator of the IKGV, commented on
the human trafficking issue, while V.T., who was forced
into prostitution in a house in Istanbul in which she
was kept for five years and who now stays at the
shelter, commented on her bitter journey in Turkey.

"THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY COULD AMPUTATE MY ARMS OR LEG
AND THROW ME IN THE SEA"

- When did you arrive in Turkey?
In August 2000.

- To do what?
To serve as a nanny and for cleaning jobs.

- Have you ever (served in those jobs)?
No.

- How did you end up being in the hands of human
traffickers?
A woman back home said that women were paid well here
and that people were earning $250-300 per month. I
have kids. My elder daughter was supposed to study
Criminology. My salary was $15. Sometimes we could
not get our money for six months. So I came here with
five of my friends. I did not know Turkish. They
taught me. Later the women who brought us here said,
"I did you a favor. Now you will do me a favor." She
asked us to be involved in prostitution.

- What did you say?
We did not accept. She gave us neither food, nor
water. We were starving.

- How many days did it last?
I believe for four days. I don't know exactly because
we were locked up in the basement of a house. Since
there was no light I don't know how much time passed.
Later somebody came and inserted an IV in us to make us
feel even hungrier. There was a woman called Saadet
Hanim. She was 60 years old and wore a head scarf.
She came down with a tray of food and sat in front of
us. She began to eat the food. One of us no longer
could stand it and agreed to work and she ate the food.
Later each and every one of us agreed to work.
- Who was Saadet Hanim?
Ali Bey was the name of our boss. When we called him
"Ali," he was beating us and saying, "You are my
property. I can kill you." Saadet Hanim taught us
Turkish. There was a certain vocabulary that we needed
to learn everyday. If we could not learn it, she would
beat us with a stick with three chains on it. We
complained about her to Ali Bey. He said, "This is her
method." Sometimes she used to hit us with that stick
and the chains that go around our limbs used to rip
open our skin as she pulled the stick back. Once I got
it on my ankle skin. Since I was a nurse, I put back
the skin. When Saadet Hanim asked whether I cared for
medicine, I said "Yes" and she brought some salt and
put it on my wound. As my skin recovered, she used to
pull it open again.

- For how long did you work?
After learning Turkish I began to work. I don't
remember the time exactly. I had lost my memory. As I
said, we could not understand whether it was day or
night. When a guest arrived, they were taking us to
the second floor.

- Who was the guest?
Ali Bey asked us not to call them clients but guests.

- Did you try to flee?
Yes, during the early days when a guest arrived I told
him that I did not want to work and requested his help.
He agreed and took me out. I saw a huge wall and I did
not know anything. Indeed he deceived me. A minute
later the boss arrived. He beat me in such a way that
five of my ribs were broken. He said, "If you ever try
to flee again I'll kill you. You are a foreigner.
I'll amputate your arms or leg and throw you into the
sea. Nobody will look for you."

- Have you not asked anybody else to help?
No. I was looking into the eyes of the clients but
never saw a trace of humanitarian feeling. I know that
they wouldn't help me. I did not get positive
electricity from anyone.

- How were the clients treating you? What type of
people were they? Were some of them educated?
They were degrading us. They were treating us as if
we were a piece of furniture. There were some educated
people but having information does not necessarily have
anything to do with education. There were also rich
and chic people.

- How were you saved?
On a TV program I heard about the hotline 157. I told
myself that this was my last chance: I would either die
or be saved. I told this to a client and begged him to
allow me to use his phone. He said that he had a wife
and children and did not agree. He thought that
something would happen to them. When I begged a lot,
he allowed me to call 157. I told the operator to come
and save me. They asked for the address but I did not
know the address. I asked the man to tell ME the
address but he was afraid so he did not. Later I
really begged a lot. He told me that one day he would
come and take me out and that I could call the hotline
then. One day he came and took me out. I called 157.
The man left me and said, "May God help you. Don't
ever do this again." Policemen came and took me. This
was how I was saved.

- A client of yours helped you, in other words?
Yes. He was a good person. Our souls were alike. He
liked poetry. He knew about Goethe and Dumas. We
chatted a lot.
- Where were you staying?
I don't know. I went out only three times in five
years, including twice during the night. The third was
when I fled. I did not know any place. We were always
in that house. Even in the house we could not wander
freely. When a client arrived, they opened the lock
and took us to the second floor to a specific room.
The curtains were always closed. We used to look
behind the sheers. I could see only the sea. I wanted
to learn the address because there are two more women
left behind there.

- Where are the rest of your friends?
Two of them are in the house. Indeed one of them was
working voluntarily. The other tried to flee and was
captured. Ali bey beat her in such a way that I have
never seen anything like that. Her ears, eyes, nose
were bleeding. Later she never could recover. Her
psychology was disturbed. She was taken away and never
returned. They might have released her or killed her.

- How were you spending time at home?
I was doing crossword puzzles. I also read books in
Turkish.

- Did they buy you books?
No. There was a very rich library on the second floor
of the house, including Alexander Dumas, Tolstoy--all
the classical works. I read them.

- How did you meet your personal and health needs?
Once a month, a doctor came. He not only took blood
samples, but carried out the gynecological check up.
Indeed we were given a lot of vitamins. They wanted us
to put on some weight. They told us that Turkish men
liked plump women. When I arrived I was 50 kilograms,
now I'm 95. They did not let us do sports so we
wouldn't lose weight.

- In other words, a doctor would come and see your
situation?
Yes, he knew everything but did not say anything. It
was not only the doctor but also a hair dresser used to
come whenever there was a party.

- Did they give you money?
I never saw any money.

- Did you ever speak to your family?
I called my mother two days ago. I talked to my
younger daughter.

- What did you talk about?
My mother cried a lot. They actually applied to the
Interpol. They were searching for me. I talked to my
younger daughter. When I left her, she was 5. I asked
her whether she remembered me and she told me that she
loved me a lot.

- Do you have anything else to say?
I suffered a lot but I'll forget all these. I'm very
happy that I'll see my kids. I also would like to tell
my boss Ali Bey that I'm free. He told me that I was
his property. I want him to read this article. I say
to him that I'm not his property but a human being.

- Will you come to Turkey again?
Never.

--
Following is the interview with Tuba Dundar of IKGV:

"TURKEY WOKE UP (realized) LATE"

- What type of an institution is IKGV?
The IKGV was established as a non-profit independent
institution in 1998. It does not have a constant
income. It is an NGO that implements programs if
projects that it prepares could get funds from grant-
providing institutions.

- When did you begin to work for foreign women?
The Foundation in the past did some work on refugees.
We realized there were victims of human trafficking in

2002. We entered the subject fully in 2004. We signed
protocols with the TNP and the Jandarma. By using EU
funds, we provided training to around 200 policemen,
judges and prosecutors because human trafficking and
human smuggling are mixed up.

- How?
Turkey was a bit late on this issue. Human trafficking
has been discussed at international fora for
approximately ten years because the problem now is out
in the open. In the last few years Turkey, too, began
to take steps. There is a task force. There are
meetings held with the participation of the MFA,
Health, Tourism, and Finance Ministries, military,
police and the IKGV. Nowadays the IOM, too, is
participating.

- Can we say that the state finally has taken this
issue seriously?
The U.S. has been issuing a human trafficking report
every year. Countries are evaluated in three tiers.
Until two years ago Turkey was in Tier 3. In other
words, in the group that did nothing against human
trafficking. The opening of the shelter was big news,
especially abroad. This report was been pressuring
countries that have relations with the U.S. although
not very clearly.

- Are there issued that the Foundation find it hard to
cope?
There is a difficulty of finding funds. The
metropolitan Municipality pays the rent of the shelter.
Phillip Morris covers the expenses for personnel and
the all the needs of the 11-people shelter.

- How may women have you reached as of now?
More than 90. It is not possible to give an exact
figure because everyday one leaves and the other one
comes. We work with the police. Some of the women
captured during the raids were involved in prostitution
voluntarily. They are deported. But those who are
victims of human trafficking come here. We send them
to their countries from here.

- How do the victims come to the country?
There are those who come as a tourist and find
themselves in the hands of traffickers and there are
also those who look for a job opportunity. There are
many women who were deceived by their friends.
Compatriots sell fellow women friends.

- From which countries do they come mostly?
Moldova and the Ukraine. There are many who come from
the Russian Republics. Recently there were some coming
from the Turkic Republics such as Turkmenistan,
Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Georgia and Azerbaijan.

- What would you like to say as your last words?
There is a mass of clients for these women. One needs
to appeal to them. Do you know in what kind of
conditions these women, with whom you have sex in
return for money, live in? Do you know these women
don't get a dime but also live in prison conditions?
END TEXT.
MCELDOWNEY