U.S. Department of State 2001 Trafficking in Persons Report - Turkey

Turkey (Tier 3)

Turkey is a destination and transit country for trafficking of persons. Women and girls, mostly from Romania, Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, are trafficked to or through Turkey.

The Government of Turkey does not meet the minimum standards and has not yet made significant efforts to combat trafficking; however, the Government does acknowledge a problem of trafficking in the country and has taken some steps in response. There is no specific law prohibiting trafficking; however, prosecutors can use various provisions of the Penal Code against incitement to prostitution, rape, compulsory labor, child labor, and document fraud. According to government statistics, the authorities arrested 850 members of organized gangs for trafficking during 2000. Statistics on prosecutions are unavailable because there is no single statute involved. The Government does not actively support prevention or protection programs, and there are no NGO's working on the issue. The Government generally deports victims, along with other illegal aliens, within a few weeks of their detention. Law enforcement officials cooperated with film teams from Ukraine and Moldova in making educational documentaries designed to discourage women and girls from those countries from being lured to Turkey by traffickers. The Turkish National Police receive special training, funded by the EU and administered by UNHCR, in areas such as visa fraud, passport forgery, and illegal entries. The Government cooperates with other countries and international organizations in the investigation and prosecution of trafficking. The Government has signed various conventions on trafficking, including the UN Convention Against Transnational Crime Protocol on trafficking, which is not yet ratified, and ratified ILO Convention 182, in early 2001. Turkey actively participates in the Stability Pact Working Group on Trafficking.