Over 3,200 victims of human trafficking since 2004 in Türkiye

By Baris Gundogan and Sefa Sahin

ANKARA (AA) – Over 3,200 people of various nationalities, including 93 Turks, have become victims of human trafficking in Türkiye in the last 18 years, while the PKK/YPG terrorist organization is also involved in kidnapping children to accomplish its nefarious ends, according to the country's migration management head.

Since 2004, over 3,247 people have been identified as victims of human trafficking in the country, including 30 children kidnapped by the terrorist group PKK/YPG, Migration Management Directorate head Savas Unlu told Anadolu Agency on the occasion of World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, which is observed worldwide on Saturday.

In the first seven months of 2022, 245 victims were identified in over 11,000 interviews with migration authorities, Unlu said, adding that 402 people were victims of human trafficking in 2021 as identified in over 8,000 interviews.

Among the victims identified were 93 Turkish citizens, some of whom were victimized abroad, he said, adding that "five Turkish citizens who were held in captivity and forced to work abroad were rescued from the hands of a criminal organization with the support of an international organization."

"To date, 30 children, including 14 girls, kidnapped by the PKK/YPG have been identified as victims of human trafficking by 14 different provincial migration administration directorates," he said, pointing out how the terror group PKK/YPG continues to use children in terrorist acts.

One of the important turning points in Türkiye's fight against human trafficking was the 2002 addition of human trafficking as a crime to the Turkish Penal Code, Unlu said.

The day is marked every year on July 30 to raise awareness of this serious global problem.

An estimated 40.3 million people are victims of human trafficking worldwide, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Turkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the US, and EU – has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is the PKK’s Syrian offshoot.