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Viewing cable 04ANKARA4448, TIP IN TURKEY: POLICE GUIDEBOOK ON TIP

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
04ANKARA4448 2004-08-09 13:53 2011-08-24 01:00 UNCLASSIFIED Embassy Ankara
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 004448 
 
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: POLICE GUIDEBOOK ON TIP 
INVESTIGATIONS PUBLISHED, DISTRIBUTED 
 
1.   (U) In an August 5 meeting at the Turkish Security 
   Directorate, Foreigners Department Assistant Director Murat 
   Oz provided para 2 text of the Turkish Security 
   Directorate's anti-TIP guidebook.  Oz told Emboff that the 
   guidebook was published by the Security Directorate and 
   distributed to law enforcement officers, agencies, and 
   departments including the Departments of Order, Smuggling 
   and Organized Crimes, and Foreigners at the Turkish Security 
   Directorate. 
 
2.   (U) Text of the Turkish-language TIP Investigation 
   guidebook provided through unofficial local FSN translation. 
   BEGIN TEXT: 
 
     SECURITY DIRECTORATE GENERAL 
     FOREIGNERS BORDER ASYLUM DEPARTMENT HEAD 
     THE FIGHT AGAINST HUMAN TRAFFICKING - GUIDE BOOK 
 
     Human Trafficking should not be confused with human 
     smuggling.  It is a modern version of slavery that 
     threatens individuals, societies, nations and states. 
     Human Trafficking is an international phenomenon, 
     reaching dangerous levels especially after the 
     disintegration of the Soviet Union. 
 
     Human trafficking in our country is seen from time to 
     time in cases of forced prostitution (mainly of women 
     between the ages of 18-25 and mostly from Eastern Bloc 
     countries).  The important point here is to carefully 
     make the distinction between those who freely decide to 
     engage in prostitution for financial profit and those 
     who are forced into prostitution. 
 
     Traffickers recruit victims by exerting force, pressure 
     and creating fear, by cheating and through deceit. 
     There is a lasting relationship between the exploiters 
     (human traffickers) and the exploited that continues 
     after crossing the border.  This modern cross-boundary 
     crime includes sexual or other types of exploitation 
     and servitude, violation of human dignity and loss of 
     freedom for the victims. 
 
     Paragraph "b" was included in Article 201 of the 
     Turkish Penal Code on August 9, 2002.  The crime of 
     human trafficking was defined and punishments were set. 
     According to this provision: 
 
          Article 201/b - Those who provide, kidnap, 
          transport from one place to another, shelter 
          individuals to make them work by force or serve, 
          be subject to slavery or similar treatment, impose 
          threat, pressure, force or violence on them, shall 
          be sentenced to heavy imprisonment from five years 
          to ten years and fined not less than 1 billion TL. 
 
          If the acts were attempted with the purposes 
          mentioned in paragraph one, it will be regarded 
          that they were done without the consent of the 
          victim. 
 
          In cases that minors who have not completed the 
          age of 18 are provided, kidnapped, transported or 
          sheltered with the purposes mentioned in paragraph 
          one, even if none of the acts of the crime were 
          committed, the perpetrator shall be punished with 
          the punishments mentioned in paragraph one. 
 
          If the crimes mentioned above were committed in an 
          organized manner, the punishments shall be 
          increased by one fold. 
 
     Human trafficking is usually organized internationally 
     and results in grave consequences for victims' 
     security, prosperity, and human rights.  Because income 
     obtained from human trafficking with the purpose of 
     sexual exploitation is high, continuous and low-risk, 
     it is a preferred method of organized criminal gangs. 
 
     Victims find themselves serving as "slaves" in the sex 
     industry, domestic servants at homes or workers in 
     factories under inhuman conditions for long periods. 
 
     Here the main goal of human traffickers is to make 
     money through long-term exploitation.  With this 
     purpose, human traffickers use elements of force such 
     as incarceration, debt bondage, isolation, confiscating 
     identity and travel documents, intimidation, rape and 
     use of force, threats of violence against a victims' 
     family. 
 
     Other efficient methods utilized by traffickers include 
     pressure methods.  Traffickers tell victims they are 
     free to go to the police, because they falsely assert 
     police were purchased through bribes.  Traffickers may 
     also tell victims that they will be deported 
     immediately, without interrogation, if they go to 
     police. 
 
     One of the reasons that victims' hesitate to apply to 
     the police is that most of them come from countries 
     where police are regarded negatively, a force of 
     pressure rather than an assisting service. 
 
     Turkish police personnel conducting investigations 
     should be very careful to provide full information 
     about all kinds of assistance, support and services 
     that would be helpful for the victims to obtain relief 
     from their current situation. 
 
     When victims become witnesses, the duty of the 
     personnel that conduct the investigation is to be 
     sensitive towards the victimized witness and respect 
     her rights.  Their duty is also to prepare the most 
     appropriate conditions for her to present the evidence 
     she has, testify and overcome the trauma that is 
     entailed inevitably to the investigation and trial 
     process. 
 
     Explaining the situation thoroughly and building 
     confidence are key factors in communicating with the 
     victims. There are three main issues that concern 
     victims: 
 
          - Personal Security 
          - Privacy Issues: Protection from the media 
          - Separation from the human traffickers who 
          exploited them 
 
     The following issues should be handled with priority in 
     order to calm victims and facilitate the collection of 
     evidence that will assist in the investigation: 
 
          -    Personnel who take testimony should be respectful, 
            helpful and should refrain from judging the person.  In c 
            of sexual exploitation, the terms used for defining the 
            victim, human trafficker, customers and prostitution shou 
            be selected carefully so that the victim is not intimidat 
            or embarrassed. 
 
          -    Personnel conducting the investigation should act in a 
            professional manner with the victim and should refrain fr 
            physical contact.  The personnel conducting the 
            investigation should refrain from behavior that would 
            suggest disrespect to the victim. 
 
          -    Use of proper and respectful language is very 
            important.  The officers should refrain from using obscen 
            words or sexual implications. 
 
          -    In all cases the officer taking victim's testimony 
            should be of the same gender with the victim. 
 
          -    The officers taking the testimony of the victim should 
            be trained about the crime of human trafficking. 
 
          -    The meeting with the victim should be held in a quiet 
            location. Psychological support should be available.  Thi 
            situation will decrease a victim's hesitation and develop 
            confidence in law enforcement officers. 
 
          -    Human trafficking for the purpose of sexual 
            exploitation is a crime that emerges as a way of life.  I 
            most cases, most evidence is hidden in details.  So the 
            victim should give detailed information about incidents, 
            matter how lengthy. 
 
          -    Investigators should stress the importance of providin 
            any details about places where incidents happened, routs, 
            clothes, people, documents, decoration and furniture in t 
            room where the victims were locked or raped. 
 
          -    It is also very important that the victims should be 
            warned clearly that they should tell the truth. 
 
          -    It is of vital importance that the victims should know 
            that attempts to lie to or intentionally deceive 
            investigators will be uncovered during the course of the 
            investigation and that this would defame the victim as a 
            witness and that it would endanger the court case. 
          -    In this regard, the victim should be encouraged to tal 
            about the impact of the crime on her quality of life; 
            whether she feels ready to establish a free life as a nor 
            citizen; whether she can go back home without fear; wheth 
            she has lost her confidence and respect. 
 
     Upon a victim's complaint or upon information from 
     another resource, when it becomes necessary to launch a 
     raid in a building to capture human trafficking 
     perpetrators or rescue victims, the following elements 
     should be used as an ideal practice: 
 
          -    Translators speaking the language of perpetrators and 
            victims; 
 
          -    Officials documenting with video and photos; 
 
          -    Forensic medicine officials; 
 
          -    Special technical support teams. 
 
          Victims of human trafficking might be suspected of 
          crimes such as possession of fake visas or travel 
          documents or voluntary prostitution.  However, it 
          should not be forgotten that they are the most 
          important witnesses against human traffickers. 
 
          To encourage confidence and trust, victims should 
          not be held with criminals in the security 
          precinct.  Without human traffickers around, 
          victims will be more inclined to share 
          information. 
 
          Assigned security personnel should carefully 
          record every possible detail about the place of 
          incident and apprehension of suspects, including 
          statements during apprehension, situation of the 
          rooms in the place where prostitution is being 
          done, and clothes worn by victims.  Details should 
          be recorded in such a manner that suspects later 
          cannot claim they were unaware of prostitution. 
 
          Suspects' offices, brothels or meeting buildings 
          and houses should be searched in accordance with 
          legislation.  Records about these places are very 
          important, especially if the victims claim they 
          were subject to bad treatment and/or sexual rape. 
 
          If the victim engaged in prostitution, it will be 
          a remote possibility to find a forensic medicine 
          sample that would become evidence for a rape case. 
          For this reason, a video film that displays the 
          layout and setting of the incident venue will be 
          vital evidence enhancing the testimony of the 
          victim. 
 
     The following checklist should be used to acquire 
     evidence in human trafficking criminal investigations; 
     responses should be attached to the record: 
 
            - Copy of an ad, appointment book, letter to 
            language schools, applications to consulates 
            for visa; 
 
            - No matter how small the amount is, cash 
            money, credit card, check book or a document 
            about a financial transaction; 
 
            - Any documents showing remittances of victims 
            to human traffickers in the form of a daily 
            payment book, hand written payment list, or 
            money transfer receipts; 
 
            - Identity cards and travel documents, tickets, 
            receipts, boarding passes, luggage tags and all 
            related documents; 
 
            - Letter of guarantee, dance contract, language 
            school records, contracts such as finding 
            friends or marriage agency employment; any 
            contract and all kinds of documents related 
            with issuance of passports and visas; 
            - Any documents about daily administration of 
            prostitution such as announcement material, 
            daily sketch papers, price lists, texts to be 
            read; 
 
            - Pornographic material to be used in 
            prostitution; 
 
            - All kinds of rental agreement documents and 
            contracts for buildings and other associated 
            facilities associated; 
 
            - Computers, cellular phones, fax machines, 
            personal data banks an all kinds of 
            communication and information technology 
            equipment; 
 
            - Expensive motor vehicles, jewelry, furniture 
            or technical equipment and other valuable 
            material. 
 
     In Summary: 
 
     The crime of human trafficking should be referred to as 
     a violation of human rights.  People and networks 
     involved in trafficking should be identified and 
     treated in accordance with article 201/b of the TPC. 
 
     The victims should not be treated as criminals but 
     victims of a crime; victims should not be kept in 
     detention but in an appropriate, clean and secure 
     medium. 
 
     People, who come to our country just to make money 
     through prostitution and stay in our country for this 
     purpose, should be subject to legal and administrative 
     procedures. 
 
     Those who are victims and who reveal the criminals 
     shall be given residential permits for one month at the 
     first instance. 
 
     Any information and/or intelligence should be evaluated 
     and reported with case notes.   After gathering 
     information from other provinces, as required, 
     necessary steps should be taken in coordination with 
     the related security and Jandarma commanders.  The 
     Ministry of Interior must be informed about steps 
     taken. 
 
     After taking testimonies of the suspects, victims, and 
     other members of the organization, their external links 
     should be discovered in detail and legal procedures 
     should be initiated against these people, then our 
     ministry should be informed. 
 
     Victims should be sent to the closest health 
     institution to undergo full medical evaluations and 
     physicals.  Considering victims of foreign 
     nationalities are in a country away from their language 
     and culture, translators should be provided. 
 
     When victims are rescued, forensic medicine 
     examinations should be conducted and, in the absence of 
     a Ministry of Interior forensic medicine physician, a 
     trusted and experienced doctor should do the 
     examinations.  Physical and psychological exams of the 
     victims should be administered. 
 
     If the victims have travel documents and/or identity 
     documents, photocopies of these documents should be 
     taken and sent to our ministry as attachments. 
 
     Information about transit, destination and departure 
     countries on the travel documents should be compared 
     with the testimonies of the victim and if they 
     contradict, the victim's testimony should be taken 
     again. 
     Under the light of evidence collected, those who are 
     responsible should be sent to the judiciary 
     immediately. END TEXT. 
DEUTSCH