Cablegate: Tip in Turkey: Turkish Media Attention, December 1-
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 ANKARA 007394
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, December 1-
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 Embassy translation.
2. Published by the Turkish Daily News on Thursday,
December 1, 2005:
TITLE: Ricky Martin teams up with migration group to
fight human trafficking
BEGIN TEXT: Pop star Ricky Martin is teaming up with a
U.N.-affiliated migration organization to fight the
illegal trafficking of people in Colombia.
Martin, from Puerto Rico, will support a campaign in
Colombia against human trafficking by appearing in
television commercials and through his nonprofit
charity, the Geneva-based International Organization
for Migration (IOM) said on Tuesday.
"More than half of trafficking victims worldwide are
children, forced into pornography, prostitution and
labor servitude," Martin said in a statement. "Human
trafficking is an unscrupulous market that generates
about $10 billion annually."
The commercials will be aired starting next year and
will focus on the dangers trafficking poses to
Colombian children such as sexual exploitation, the
Geneva-based IOM said.
They will also publicize a new telephone hot line that
provides free assistance and information concerning
trafficking in the country.
Martin, who was recently in Colombia as part of a
global concert tour, is also a goodwill ambassador for
the U.N. Children's Fund.
With UNICEF, he has tried to draw attention to sex
tourists who travel to foreign countries to exploit
children drawn into prostitution. He also visited
Thailand in the aftermath of last December's
devastating Indian Ocean tsunami to help orphans and
families who lost relatives.
The singer - whose hits include "She Bangs," "Shake
Your Bon-Bon" and "Livin' La Vida Loca" - started the
Ricky Martin Foundation about 10 years ago to help
children in need. Its People for Children project has
been active in anti-trafficking programs.
IOM was established in 1951 to resettle European
migrants or refugees and is active around the world in
helping people who are displaced. It also assists
governments in migration issues. END TEXT.
3. Published by Zaman Online (www.zaman.com) on Saturday,
December 3:
TITLE: 4 Arrested on Human Trafficking in Izmir
BEGIN TEXT: Four people have been arrested and sent to
prison in Izmir on charges of organizing human
trafficking.
The four were detained by Izmir Gendarmerie Smuggling
and Organized Crime Branch teams following six months
of surveillance of smugglers who were bringing illegal
immigrants into Turkey and then taking them by boat to
Greece. The four were identified as Sait S., 43; Ahmet
G., 50; Sedat T., 46; and Soner K., 32. END TEXT.
4. Reported by Aksam on Monday, December 5:
TITLE: Police save sex slaves
BEGIN TEXT: On a tip that women were being forced into
prostitution, police raided a house on Baskurt Street
in the Taksim neighborhood of Cihangir and saved four
foreign prostitutes. A Crimean, O.A., was arrested and
sent to prison on charges of selling women, and it was
announced that the search was on for three Turks. A
"prostitution notebook" with the names of clients was
seized in the raid on the apartment where Ukrainian
women were kept. END TEXT.
5. Published by Ankara Anatolia on Thursday, December 8:
TITLE: Turkey: Minister Aksu Addresses International
Migration Symposium in Istanbul
BEGIN FBIS TRANSLATED TEXT: Turkish Interior Minister
Abdulkadir Aksu indicated on Thursday that the Turkish
government is working on projects for better control of
national borders which will soon become the borders of
the European Union (EU).
Minister Aksu took the floor at the symposium entitled
"International Migration" in Istanbul.
"The concept of migration affects the whole world.
Migration has an impact on countries' political, social
and military policies," said Aksu.
Aksu remarked that about 500,000 migrants enter the EU
illegally every year.
Aksu pointed out that Turkey has accepted millions of
migrants and refugees throughout its history.
"Migration into Turkey lands began with the arrival of
300,000 Jews from Spain. In the past 200 years, Turkey
has been home to millions of refugees," noted Aksu.
According to Aksu, Turkey received 52,542 refugees from
Iraq in 1980, 300,000 refugees from Bulgaria in the
1980s and close to 40,000 refugees from Bosnia-
Herzegovina in the 1990s.
Aksu stressed that, as a country with 9,658 kilometers
of sea and land borders, Turkey plays an active role in
the fight against international crimes and terrorism.
Minister Aksu commented that Turkey has taken measures
to help the victims of trafficking. "We have opened
shelters for the victims of human trafficking in big
cities such as Istanbul and Ankara. We have allocated
5 million YTL (5.13 million USD) to help the illegal
migrants who enter Turkey. We are working on new
projects to have the latest technology at our borders.
Our borders will become more secure against
international crimes," added Aksu. END FBIS TRANSLATED
TEXT.
6. Carried by Haftalik magazine in their December 9th
issue:
TITLE: Turkey's Prostitution Map
BEGIN TEXT: Prostitution is one of the fastest growing
problems in Turkey. It's possible to see this growth
in the evenings in urban centers of large cities. On
one side people are milling in the streets, on the
other side the sale (of women). It's all intertwined.
The rise in the prostitution rate has even caused it to
be reported. According to an Ankara Trade Board
report, the number of prostitutes in Turkey is
approaching 100,000. According to the same report,
there are 56 brothels and around 3000 prostitutes
working in them. The number of registered prostitutes
in Turkey numbers more than 15,000. Another 30,000
women are waiting for their permits to work as
prostitutes. Especially in recent years, prostitution
has evolved into street walkers and unlicensed
brothels. Just in Diyarbakir alone, there are 1000
unlicensed brothels. The prostitution sector controls
about $3.4 billion. Interestingly, almost two-thirds
of those who go to prostitutes are married. According
to the ATB report, 63.4 percent of prostitutes' clients
have official (legal) marriages and 12.2 percent have
religious (illegal) marriages. The report claimed that
30 percent of the prostitutes are marketed by their
husbands, 10 percent by their fathers, mothers, big
brothers or other relatives, and 3.4 percent by their
boyfriends. And the most important factor to the
prostitution problem is foreign women. According to
Turkish National Police data, in the last ten years the
number of foreign women who were captured while serving
as prostitutes was 30,073. Almost 40 percent of these
women were in Istanbul.
Based on this information, we drew up a "prostitution
map" of Turkey.
Istanbul: Transvestites have taken over the streets.
In recent years the rate of transvestite prostitution
has increased, in particular on Istanbul streets.
Until ten years ago, they were seen only on the
Cevizlibag-Merter portion of the D-100 highway; now
they are everywhere. You can see them after 21:00 hrs
in Taksim, Elmadag, Harbiye, Sisli, Aksaray, Vatan
Caddesi, D-100 Cevizlibag-Esenyurt areas. On weekends
there is a transvestite prostitute every five meters
from Tarlabasi Boulevard to Harbiye. The transvestites
strike up deals with customers, whom they then take to
"brothels" located on side streets. They also operate
on the Kennedy Sea Road and on the Anatolian side in
Caddebostan and on the Bostanci-Pendik highway.
Women prostitutes retreat to unlicensed brothels. As
prostitution is spreading, it has gotten harder to find
female prostitutes on the streets. Women prostitutes
are generally are seen on Millet Caddesi, certain parts
of Taksim and around Maslak. Women prostitutes prefer
working in closed unlicensed and by appointment
brothels, which leaves the streets to transvestite
prostitutes. It is believed that there are hundreds of
unlicensed brothels in Istanbul.
There are also many prostitutes who are operating
individually and by telephone appointments only. These
are girls who want to keep their families unaware of
their work. This is very popular and friends and
telephone numbers are exchanged.
Foreign prostitutes who used to operate only in the
Aksaray area are now in Etiler and Beyoglu as well.
There are also many foreign women at unlicensed
brothels. In fact, they even live there. They prefer
to stay at places like Atakoy and Atasehir where there
are many condominiums. In recent years foreign
prostitutes do not come only from the former Eastern
Bloc countries, but also from Africa and Iran.
Izmir: Prostitutes invade rich neighborhoods.
Transvestite prostitutes operate in the Alsancak
district, Kibris Sehitleri Caddesi and Talatpasa
Boulevard. Police are trying desperately to rid these
rich areas of prostitution. They prefer to operate
through hitchhiking. Some operate out of their houses
or cars. During the Izmir Fair in September,
transvestites from other cities, especially Istanbul,
travel to Izmir.
Foreign prostitutes, like Russians, are found in the
Basmane district hotels. Some of these hotels do not
take Turks. The hotels cater to mostly foreign
tourists. Turkish prostitutes work at brothels here
and there. The Izmir brothel is one of the most
popular sites.
Ankara: Due to police pressure, prostitution has gone
to the ring roads. As in Istanbul, in Ankara you see
transvestite prostitutes on the street; women
prostitutes have gone indoors. Transvestites used to
be seen mostly on Cinnah Caddesi, but because of police
pressure, they moved to houses around Eryaman and they
look for clients on the Istanbul road. Women
prostitutes cater to truck drivers on the same road.
There have been raids on unlicensed brothels in
Yenidogan and Mamak. Both Turkish and foreign
prostitutes work at nightclubs in the Ulus district.
Trabzon: The Russians are in charge of the market.
Trabzon was one of the first stops for foreign
prostitutes who began to pour in in the early 1990s.
There is still a high potential in this city. Many
foreign prostitutes in particular operate out of hotels
on the Rize road. It is a known fact that foreign
prostitutes operate out of the Comlekci district.
Antalya: The Lara and Konyaalti beaches are
prostitution centers. There are two centers of
prostitution in Antalya. The first one is in Lara's
Barinaklar area. Foreign prostitutes work in this
district. The second area is the harbor. Turkish
prostitutes, when they have the opportunity, operate
out of parks close to the harbor. The Konyaalti shore
is another area where prostitutes look for clients.
There is a brothel on the way to the Duden Waterfalls.
Although the number of transvestite prostitutes has
increased in recent years, they have not yet taken over
the streets.
Bursa: Upon the brothel closing, business takes to the
street. Since the city brothel was closed down,
prostitution has taken to the streets. In the evening
hours, the Central Bus Station region, Carsamba, the
Merinos intersection, Cekirge Street and the new Yalova
road are where one can find female prostitutes and
transvestite prostitutes. Foreign prostitutes operate
out of certain hotels. These are mostly women who are
brought from Istanbul's Yenikapi, to Yalova and from
there to Bursa.
And what is the situation in other cities?
Diyarbakir: The Diyarbakir brothel is an important
prostitution center for the region. It is on the
Mardin Road. In the city center there are some secret
brothels as well.
Adana: Turkish prostitutes work in the Old Bus Station
district and on the Adnan Menderes Highway. Both
female and transvestite prostitutes look for clients on
the Baraj Road.
Samsun: Foreign women operate by phone and stay on
Ataturk Boulevard, Centennial Boulevard and in some
other areas.
Eskisehir: There is a brothel and prostitutes operate
on the old NATO road. They are also found in Alaaddin
Park.
Erzurum: There are some foreign prostitutes in the
hotels on the Palandoken Road.
Konya: There are brothels in the city center. They
are mostly in the Zafer District. Prostitutes mostly
come from Adana and Mersin.
Gaziantep: Prostitution is seen mostly in casinos and
bars in town. END TEXT.
7. Published by Ankara Anatolia on Thursday, December 15:
TITLE: Turkish Interior Minister in Athens to Attend
Meeting on Illegal Migration
BEGIN FBIS TRANSLATED TEXT: Turkish Interior Minister
Abdulkadir Aksu has arrived in Athens today to attend a
quartet meeting, titled "Illegal migration and struggle
against human trafficking," with Greek, Iranian and
Pakistani ministers.
The meeting is hosted by Greek Minister of Public Order
Yeoryios Voulgarakis and will also be attended by
interior ministers of Iran and Pakistan.
The ministers from four countries will discuss illegal
migration, human smuggling, illegal drug trafficking
and organized crimes. There will be a joint statement
at the end of the meeting on Friday.
Aksu and other ministers will meet Greek President
Karolos Papoulias and Minister of Interior Prokopis
Pavlopoulos today.
Abdulkadir Aksu is expected to hold talks with both
Iranian and Pakistani ministers.
Minister Aksu will depart from Athens on Friday night.
The meeting was originally scheduled for October 10th-
11th, but was postponed due to the massive earthquake
in Pakistan. END FBIS TRANSLATED TEXT.
8. Published by Radikal on Thursday, December 15:
TITLE: Little girl forced into prostitution
BEGIN TEXT: In the Gokova region of Ula sub-province,
Mugla, eight people were detained, seven on the charge
of having sex with an underage girl in return for money
and the girl's aunt, who marketed her, was detained.
After receiving a tip, the Jandarma detained GG, RD,
MK, SK, AC, SS and NS for having sex with F.A. (15).
Based on their testimony, HM, the aunt of the girl, was
detained as well.
The eight suspects were arrested and put in jail. END
TEXT.
WILSON