TURKEY'S TIP SHELTERS FACING CRITICAL BUDGET

UNCLAS ANKARA 002512 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR/SE, G/TIP, USAID RUTH POJMAN, GLEN ROJERS, AND SARAH BERRY E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID AFIN ELAB PHUM SMIG SOCI TU SUBJECT: TURKEY'S TIP SHELTERS FACING CRITICAL BUDGET SHORTFALLS REF: ANKARA 1893 ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY. Budgetary short-falls threaten the continued operation of Turkey's two dedicated anti-trafficking in persons (TIP) shelters. While the Istanbul shelter is at least secure through the end of 2007, Ankara shelter administrators have told us that they have had to divert resources to cover salaries in September and have no money to pay salaries in October. The Ankara shelter requires emergency support to operate until November when EU-granted/IOM-administered project funds become available. The IOM Chief of Mission in Ankara has sent a letter to Ankara-based ambassadors requesting two months' worth of assistance for the Ankara shelter, until those project funds become available. The shelter's estimated operating expenses are about $16,000 per month. Even a fraction of one month's expenses would go a long way toward minimizing the disruption of the shelter's operations. We urge the Department to consider this request. END SUMMARY. THE ANKARA TIP SHELTER: CONDITION CRITICAL -------------- ¶2. (SBU) We met on September 26 with Gulsen Ulker, President of the Executive Board of the Foundation for Women's Solidarity (FWS),which runs the Ankara shelter, and with Zehra Tosun, the shelter coordinator. Ulker told us that the FWS requires assistance to get through the next two months, when they expect IOM/EU project funds to arrive. IOM concurs with this dire assessment and has sent a letter to the Embassies of the United States, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, Denmark, Canada, Japan, and the United Kingdom requesting help to cover the gap period (see paragraph 7). ¶3. (SBU) FWS opened the Ankara shelter in 2005. It has signed protocols with the municipality of Ankara and IOM to provide services to victims of human trafficking, including shelter, legal counseling, and health and psychological services. It takes from the Turkish National Police trafficking victims rescued throughout Turkey. Since its opening in late 2005, it has assisted 123 victims, primarily of Moldovan and other former Soviet Union-origin. Like its Istanbul-based counterpart, which provides the same services, primarily to victims rescued in the Istanbul region, the FWS shelter plays a critical role in Turkey's anti-TIP action plan. FWS also participates in the GOT's TIP taskforce. However, apart from unbilled hospital care from the Ministry of Health, neither shelter receives consistent financial support from the GOT -- only free rent from the municipality. ¶4. (SBU) According to FWS, operating expenses at the shelter, excluding rent, are about $16,000 per month. This includes the salaries of the coordinator, a psychologist, a part-time medical doctor, one domestic worker, and the services of four Russian and one Romanian/Moldovan translator. The funding shortfall forced FWS to divert resources to cover salaries in September, even with an emergency allocation of $4,500 from IOM. IOM had already re-directed $14,500 from a Swedish-supported regional TIP project to help FWS get through the summer. With the $4,500 already allocated by IOM for October, FWS faces a $26,500 budget gap. THE ISTANBUL SHELTER: FUTURE HAZY -------------- ¶5. (SBU) The situation at the Istanbul shelter is only marginally more stable. We met on September 17 with Turgut Tokus, Chairman of the Board of the Human Resource Development, which operates the Istanbul shelter. Since opening in 2004, this shelter has provided services to 322 trafficking victims. While the Istanbul shelter also receives free rent from the municipality, shelter administrators have been informed that, as in Ankara, Prime Ministry-administered World Bank funds for groups at social risk will not be available again in 2008. They will press the government, but right now all is uncertain for 2008 except the rent. COMMENT: LACK OF CONSISTENT FUNDING FOR THE SHELTERS UNDERMINES GOT'S ANTI-TIP PERFORMANCE -------------- -------------- ¶6. (SBU) The central government's failure to guarantee a continual source of funding for these two shelters is damaging to shelter employee morale. It is also a waste of resources. The shelters perpetually struggle to locate the necessary funds to allow them to continue to provide an essential service that is critical to Turkey's anti-TIP performance. We have repeatedly stressed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which heads the interagency TIP taskforce, that a lack of guaranteed support for the TIP shelters in Turkey undermines what has been an otherwise commendable improvement in the GOT's counter-trafficking efforts. A small U.S. contribution in support of the Ankara shelter at this critical period in its operation will not/not contribute to further GOT complacency. Rather, we believe that such a contribution will shine a light on this perennial shortcoming in the GOT's action plan and enhance our ability to persuade the GOT of the need to rectify this situation. TEXT OF THE LETTER FROM THE IOM CHIEF OF MISSION TO AMBASSADOR WILSON (AS RECEIVED) -------------- -------------- ¶7. (SBU) BEGIN TEXT. Dear Ambassador Ross Wilson, I am writing to draw your attention to an urgent concern with regard to the running costs of the Ankara shelter for trafficked persons. A ten-bed shelter opened in Ankara for safe accommodation for trafficked persons in September 2005 and has been operational since November 2005. The shelter is operated by the Foundation for Women's Solidarity FWS an Ankara-based NGO who has experience running a shelter for victims of domestic violence. FWS was selected under an open and competitive tender process. The facility is staffed by a coordinator, shelter manager, social worker, psychologist, part-time medical doctor, one domestic worker, and five cultural mediators. All trafficked persons are provided legal counseling and assistance free of charge. A doctor visits the shelter twice a week and the Turkish government provides free medical care for trafficked persons. The shelter psychologist provides assistance for each case. Regular social activities are provided for shelter beneficiaries, including courses on computers, language, jewelry design, painting and art. IOM has been providing technical and financial support to the Foundation for Women's Solidarity under its counter-trafficking project since 2005. We will continue supporting our NGO partner under the up-coming EC funded counter-trafficking project. We are at the last stage of finalization of the EC process and aiming to sign the agreement October or November. Due to process, there is a gap to cover the Ankara shelter expenses for two months. We would be grateful if you could look at the possibilities to cover the gap period through funding from your Embassy. Sincerely yours, (Signed) Maurizio Busatti Chief of Mission END TEXT. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ WILSON