TURKEY: COUNTER-TRAFFICKING UPDATE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 000628 SIPDIS 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 SUBJECT: TURKEY: COUNTER-TRAFFICKING UPDATE REF: ANKARA 6303 ¶1. SUMMARY: Counter-trafficking efforts remain strong in Turkey with the kick-off of the USG-funded, International Office for Migration (IOM)-implemented and GoT-coordinated public awareness campaign, as well as the start of the EU-funded Twinning Project to strengthen institutions in the fight against TIP. Victims of trafficking (VOTs) who have stayed at the Ankara shelter have expressed a desire to stay longer, and to even bring their children there. Inquisitive neighbors and the Ministry of Health's stinginess with medications remain problems for the shelter. END SUMMARY. -------------- Have You Seen My Mother? -------------- ¶2. The IOM on January 31 rolled out its USG-funded nationwide public information campaign to raise awareness of the impact of human trafficking on children and families, with hopes of appealing to the strong Turkish sense of family. According to IOM statistics, one out of three women trafficked to Turkey is a mother. ¶3. The centerpiece of the campaign is a television commercial entitled, "Have You Seen My Mother?" Twenty-six private and public television channels will air the advertisement starting in mid-February. Film distributor FIDA Film and cinema company Sinefekt will also show the commercial at movie theaters throughout the country. ¶4. IOM filmed the 30-second commercial in a village in Moldova, a top source country, and cast four Moldovan children, aged 4-14. The children, in Turkish, say "I miss her," "I do not know where she is," "We needed to eat," "One of us needed to work and my mother went," and "Have you seen my mother?" Municipalities in Ankara, Istanbul, Antalya, Izmir and Trabzon have displayed posters at bus stops, and airport authorities in Istanbul, Trabzon and Antalya have donated billboard space to advertise the campaign. There has been wide media coverage of the start of the campaign, both on television and in print. -------------- EU Twinning Project Rolled Out -------------- ¶5. Within the EU candidacy process and under the EU 2003 Pre-accession Financial Assistance Program, Turkey, Germany and Austria developed a Twinning Project on "Strengthening Institutions in the Fight Against Trafficking in Human Beings." The program, officially slated to have begun at the end of November 2005, actually started on the 6th of January, 2006 with a short ceremony and reception hosted by GOT Security Director Gokhan Aydiner. The 18-month program will conclude on May 30, 2007. ¶6. The project aims to strengthen the capacity of Turkish authorities to combat TIP and to improve Turkish anti-trafficking structures and legislation. Implementing partners are the Berlin Criminal Police Agency, the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Human Rights (Austrian),and the Turkish National Police. ¶7. Seven components make up the project: development of a national anti-trafficking strategy, awareness raising, development of a comprehensive system of victim assistance, development of return and reintegration, legislative review, training of law enforcement, and fostering international cooperation in the investigation and prosecuting of trafficking cases. Throughout the week of February 6, representatives from Germany and Austria interviewed Turkish stakeholders and experts to analyze strengths, gaps and needs with regard to existing victim assistance and support in Turkey. The ensuing report will be shared with relevant Turkish officials and NGO representatives and will also serve as a basis for the development and implementation of further project activities. -------------- -------------- Ankara Shelter: Good Reviews and Nosy Neighbors -------------- -------------- ¶8. The Women's Solidarity Foundation (WSF) which runs the Ankara shelter (see reftel) reported that they have housed five VOTs, all of whom commented on how nice the facilities are. Several of them wished that they could have their children with them and never have to leave. Sadly, those women said that they had come to Turkey in hopes of providing just such housing for their children. ANKARA 00000628 002 OF 002 ¶9. Though the WSF has generally been satisfied with the healthcare provided its guests, one complaint is that the Ministry of Health does not supply medications for the VOTs other than single doses given at the hospital. Most of the women have gynecological problems which require longer courses of medication. ¶10. Several shelter neighbors have inquired as to why foreign women are being taken in and out of the house. The WSF has successfully dodged questions, but plans to ask the municipality if it has any creative answers. Winter has brought a reprieve to the inquisition, but WSF anticipates a resurgence as the weather turns warmer. ¶11. COMMENT: It is too early to see results on the effectiveness of the public awareness campaign, but the media has reacted positively. IOM has cleverly found a soft spot in Turkish society -- its love of children. The Turks will endeavor to work with the Twinning Project team, but it will be interesting to note their reaction to the report findings, which may not be as they expect. WSF seems, so far, to be doing a good job with running the shelter. We will need to give them more time before we can make an accurate evaluation. END COMMENT. WILSON