On the European Anti-trafficking Day (18 October), the team of the joint European Union and the Council of Europe action "Strengthening the human rights protection of migrants and victims of human trafficking in Turkey” had an opportunity to discuss ways to further increase the identification of victims of human trafficking and strengthen public awareness in Turkey with the Head of Department for the Protection of Victims of Trafficking in Human Beings under the Directorate General of Migration Management (DGMM), Osman Koramaz.
Koramaz reminded that trafficking in human beings is a crime that concerns people of all ages, colours, background and nationalities, highlighting the importance for each State to adopt comprehensive legislations on the protection of the rights of the victims of trafficking.
”The number of identified victims of trafficking in human beings in Turkey increased by 32% between 2019 and 2020. This is thanks to the numerous trainings provided to public and private actors, awareness raising activities, capacity building activities for frontline workers in risk-carrying sectors such as the entertainment sector and the home-cleaning services by the DGMM as well as their collaboration with the Turkish Employment Agency to prevent online scams leading to labour exploitation”, he said. Strong national co-ordination, efficient public awareness raising, and thorough capacity building of frontline workers are essential for better identification of victims of trafficking in human beings, he believes.
Koramaz highlighted the importance of civil society organisations’ involvement in the fight against trafficking in human beings and how the pandemic has been an opportunity to further enhance their collaboration through the implementation of online trainings co-provided by the DGMM and various CSOs.
”The role of the Co-ordination Commission for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, a fast-growing mechanism in Turkey which is co-ordinated by DGMM and assures strengthened co-ordination among public institutions, is vital”, said Koramaz. In addition, provincial meetings of the Co-ordination Commission for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings were initially held in 7 provinces in 2019. In 2020, the meetings concerned were organized in 36 provinces while the number reached 70 provinces in 2021. In this vein, it is aimed that the provincial meetings of the Coordination Commission for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings be held in all provinces of Turkey by the end of 2021 and that they are organised every year on regular basis.
When it comes to awareness raising, Koramaz affirmed that the focus should be put on social media, which has the highest impact if the target group is well defined. Good-will ambassadors are also very effective to increase public awareness and the DGMM will explore new collaborations in this vein for the future.
Furthermore, he affirmed that the implication of students and the youth is crucial for them. Within the body of the Department for Protection of Victims of Trafficking in Human Beings under DGMM, there are indeed no limitations when it comes to the number of internship positions available, their only condition being that all students who have accomplished an internship should become good-will ambassador and aim at increasing their peer’s awareness on trafficking in human beings.
The Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings was adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 3 May 2005 and entered into force on 1 February 2008. The main added value of the Convention is its human rights perspective and focus on victim protection. Another important added value of the Convention is the monitoring system set up to supervise the implementation of the obligations contained in it, which consists of two pillars: the Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) and the Committee of the Parties.
In Turkey, the Council of Europe Convention on Action Against Human Trafficking was ratified by the Parliament and entered into force in 2016. The ongoing joint European Union and Council of Europe action "Strengthening the human rights protection of migrants and victims of human trafficking in Turkey” draws on the recommendations made by the Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) in its first evaluation report on Turkey.
