TURKEY: 2006 DOMESTIC REPORT ON COMBATING HUMAN

UNCLAS ANKARA 002754 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR/SE, G/TIP E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ELAB PHUM PGOV SMIG KCRM KWMN TU SUBJECT: TURKEY: 2006 DOMESTIC REPORT ON COMBATING HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN TURKEY ¶1. (SBU) The GOT recently issued its 2006 Report on Combating Human Trafficking in Turkey. The report provides an overview of Turkey's anti-TIP legal framework, international cooperation mechanisms, TIP prevention and victim protection measures, and supporting 2006 statistical data. The report, published in Turkish and English, is the first "domestic" TIP report produced by the GOT, and a good example of the close interagency cooperation the GOT has fostered through its anti-TIP taskforce. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Police, Jandarma, Ministry of Justice, and IOM, along with the Human Resources Development Fund and the Foundation for Women's Solidarity (the two NGOs operating Turkey's two dedicated TIP shelters),all contributed to the report. IOM also funded the printing. IOM Chief of Mission Maurizio Busatti told us that he hopes future annual reports will be released earlier in the year and explore in greater depth the TIP issue in Turkey. He conceded that this first report was mostly gloss. IOM Trafficking Assistant Meltem Ersoy noted optimistically that the GOT interagency taskforce has already created a technical working group tasked with the production of subsequent TIP reports. ¶2. (U) Post has sent a copy of the report to EUR/SE and G/TIP. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ WILSON