Facts and Figures

IOM Member State since 2004 Capital: Ankara Population (2011): 73.6 million Area: 779,452 sq km Language: Turkish Currency: Turkish Lira (TRY) GDP per Capita PPP (2010): USD 15,321 HDI Rank (2011): 92 of 187 Remittances (2011 estimate): USD 949 million Net Migration Rate (2010-2015): 0.0 migrants /1,000 population Immigrants (2010): 1.9% Women as a Percentage of Immigrants (2010): 52.0% Population under 15 (2011): 26% Adult HIV Prevalence (2009): <0.1%	Additional Resources Migration in the Turkey: A Country Profile 2008 International Migration Law Database National Instruments: Turkey
Sources and Definitions More Facts and Figures Total Labour Force (2006): 25,276,000 Foreign-born Labour Force (2006): not available

Latest News

• IOM Supports Basic Life Skills of 1, 200 Youth Migrants in Turkey
• Television Drama Series Highlights Human Trafficking in Turkey, Promotes IOM Helpline
• Funding to Help Most Vulnerable of Turkey's Earthquake Victims Survive the Winter Months
• Istanbul to Host Forum on the Challenge of Integrating Migrants into Societies

Migration is a major social and demographic issue for Turkey today. Because of its geographical location bridging Asia and Europe, Turkey is one of the main destination countries affected by trafficking in human beings Furthermore, because Turkey enjoys a relatively higher level of prosperity compared to neighboring countries in the region, it has been especially affected by major migration and refugee flows over the last decade, a period characterized by global economic problems.

IOM Turkey's primary objective is to support the Turkish Government's efforts to establish an effective, human rights oriented approach to Turkey's regional migration challenges in order to combat irregular migration and trafficking in human beings. The magnitude and complexity of these challenges call for an integrated approach to migration management that requires coordination of national efforts, cooperation with regional partners, and joint efforts with countries of origin and transit. Thus, a related objective of IOM Turkey is to provide research, advocacy and technical expertise for managing these complex migration challenges. To pursue and accomplish its objectives in this context, IOM Turkey operates in areas of emergency refugee assistance, assisted voluntary return and almost every major aspect of migration management, including but not limited to promoting legal migration, migrant health and harnessing remittances.

IOM Turkey handles the resettlement of refugees and migrants to the USA, Canada, Australia and Europe with the support of donors including the US State Department, Canadian Immigration Services and the Australian Government.

Currently operational in over 40 countries, the US Refugee Admission Programme (USRAP) funded by the US Department of State through the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) is one of the largest continuous activities in which the IOM is involved. In Turkey, IOM Turkey runs regular USRAP movements to the United States in close cooperation with the Turkish Government authorities, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC).

IOM Turkey has also provided assistance since 1991 to refugees accepted under the Canada Refugees Bound Programme, as well as family reunification cases. IOM Turkey is working closely with the Canadian Embassy in Ankara to ensure smooth processing of migrants resettled to their new Canadian communities.

On behalf of the Government of Australia, IOM facilitates medical screening to make sure that Refugees and Special Humanitarian Entrants to Australia are fit to travel. Migrants destined for Australia also participate in the Australian Cultural Orientation (AUSCO) programme.

In addition to the foregoing country-specific programmes, IOM Turkey and the IOM facilitate resettlement of refugees to and family reunifications in "Other European Countries", which include: Finland, Belgium, Denmark, France, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Norway, and Ireland*. In coordination with UNHCR and the respective Other European Countries, asylum-seekers identified as refugees by UNHCR are resettled in and to such countries with the assistance of the IOM receiving missions.

In the case of stranded migrants or rejected asylum seekers, a project known as "Humanitarian Assistance to Stranded Migrants" functions to facilitate the assisted voluntary return of stranded migrants and rejected asylum seekers to their respective countries of origin or, alternatively, to safe haven in non-neighboring countries. This project particularly targets vulnerable groups and gives priority to women and children. Under this programme, IOM Turkey also assists in the establishment of efficient and humane return mechanisms. IOM Turkey supports NGOs, other international humanitarian organizations and the Government of Turkey in seeking to establish and maintain a sustainable system for enabling the voluntary return of stranded and irregular migrants and rejected asylum seekers.

Turkey is one of the major destinations for trafficking in human beings because of its geo-political location and the socio-economic attractions that Turkey offers in contrast to neighboring countries in the region. The victims of trafficking who are brought into Turkey are predominately citizens of the Commonwealth of Independent States – newly independent nations that suffer systemically from very low average per capita incomes.

Since 2005, IOM Turkey has implemented more than 15 projects to combat the trafficking of human beings into Turkey. As discussed in detail below, these projects are concentrated in the areas of prevention, protection and prosecution, and are being carried out in close cooperation with line ministries, the courts and civilian social activists.

Prevention:
Setting in place sound prevention strategies is paramount to fighting this modern scourge. With funding from the US Government, IOM has been implementing a project entitled "Assistance to Victims of Trafficking in Turkey". Additionally, through funding from the European Commission, IOM has also been implementing a project known as: "Supporting Turkey's efforts to Combat Human Trafficking and Promote Access to Justice for all Trafficked Persons". With the funding supplied by these two programmes and in close cooperation with and from the Government of Turkey, IOM Turkey has launched two national and two international information campaigns.

• Media and Advertising Campaigns
  The largest effort has gone into TV and radio commercials broadcast by national and local Turkish TV channels with the support of the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTUK). These same commercials have been aired on TV channels in the countries from which victims have predominately originated.
  
  In addition, IOM fitted five buses travelling over the national road network of Turkey with visual material specifically designed to advertise and promote the "157 Helpline". Finally, on several occasions during professional football matches, huge advertising banners were displayed saying: "Call 157 Hotline to Stop Human Trafficking". The 157 Helpline is also being promoted by the Ministry of Interior – General Directorate of Security, through dissemination of passport inserts at border entry points.
  
• 157 Helpline for Trafficked Individuals
  In May 2005, operation of the national toll-free telephone line – the "157 Helpline" – was initiated. This project was originally funded by the US Government and has since proven to be a key tool for prevention and assistance to trafficked persons in Turkey. Since 2005, 165 victims of trafficking have been rescued through the 157 Helpline.
  

Protection:
The statistics recounting the number of individuals subject to human trafficking from 2004 through 2009 is an indicator of the severity of the problem. During this period, 1,111 persons were identified by Turkish authorities as victims of trafficking. For this same period, IOM Turkey was able to provide relief to and return home 744 of the 1,111 victims under its AVR programme.

IOM Turkey's counter-trafficking project entitled "Combating Trafficking in Turkey: Local Action and Direct Assistance" has been funded by the Norwegian Government and the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida). The project has allowed IOM Turkey to provide direct assistance to trafficked individuals. The purpose of the project was the support of the Turkish Government's efforts to combat trafficking nationally and regionally. This has been accomplished to a certain degree by strengthening the referral system and increasing the ability to identify potential and actual victims of trafficking.

Support to Legal Prosecution:
IOM, through the project "Counter Trafficking in Human Beings through Legal Assistance to Trafficked Persons and Enhanced Judicial Cooperation-Turkey BSEC Region" (funded by the Swedish International Cooperation Agency – Sida and the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs), focuses on raising awareness of human trafficking among the legal community. IOM has been training young attorneys by including the revised Turkish Penal Code and the Code of Penal Procedures for newly examined barristers in Ankara as well as establishing and training a core group of legal experts on counter-trafficking, to provide legal assistance to trafficked persons. In addition through EC funding IOM is assisting the judiciary to increase identification and strengthen the investigation and prosecution of traffickers through a number of training and capacity building activities for law enforcement officials including a specific training on the application of the provisions of the penal code against human trafficking which was delivered to over 500 judges throughout Turkey.

The Assisted Voluntary Return (AVR) programme is one of many migration management services IOM offers to migrants and governments. AVR aims at the orderly, humane and cost-effective return and reintegration of migrants who wish to return voluntarily to their countries of origin.

Through a network of 220 field offices worldwide, IOM Turkey has been providing assistance since its founding in 1991 to migrants unable or unwilling to remain in Turkey. Historically IOM Turkey has provided AVR under different programmes such as: SMIT (Stranded Migrant in Transit), TREP (Turkish Return Programme), Repatriation of Kosovo's, Repatriation of Bosnians and similar initiatives. In addition to the normal assistance provided to stranded migrants, IOM Turkey also assists in the voluntary return of rejected asylum seekers on a case to case basis.

One current example is IOM Turkey's project to assist some 250 stranded migrants and rejected asylum seekers in their voluntary return to their countries of origin. With funding provided by the UK Home Department, IOM Turkey is assisting the Government of Turkey to establish an efficient and humane mechanism for providing stranded irregular migrants and rejected asylum seekers with voluntary return assistance. The project will disseminate information to the embassies of the respective countries-of-origin, to NGOs assisting irregular migrants and directly to migrants who have been brought to the Foreign Department premises in Turkey. Through this broad dissemination of AVR information, IOM Turkey seeks to ensure that the migrants who are potential beneficiaries of this AVR programme are aware of the availability of this assistance and the possibility of home return on a strictly voluntary basis.

Supporting and promoting AVR for stranded irregular and undocumented migrants, in particular, is an ongoing priority for IOM Turkey. The main objective is to build an effective mechanism to assist stranded irregular and undocumented migrants to return to their home countries. Achieving this objective will also have the collateral benefit of relieving Turkey's congested reception facilities. IOM is planning to provide emergency assistance for voluntary return of such stranded migrants and government policies that will ensure that cases vulnerable migrants are managed in accordance with the highest international standards of conduct.

The IOM's programme for Technical Cooperation on Migration (TCM) is designed to provide governments with access to information concerning the necessary or desirable legislation, administrative structures, operational systems and human resource base needed to address diverse and multidimensional migration problems and challenges. TCM programmes also provide governments with ways and means of testing new approaches to address particular migration challenges in creative ways. IOM technical cooperation activities are generally constructed as partnerships in accordance with which IOM, the concerned government and other civil society parties work closely together to define needs, determine priorities and shape interventions.

IOM Turkey acts as a catalyst for the interaction of all relevant Turkish institutions to come together and work for substantive results for the successful conduct and advancement of migration and border management. The objective is to promote and advance the implementation of the National Action Plan on Migration and Asylum (NAP). IOM Turkey's priorities are: (1) to contribute to curbing irregular migration; and (2) to better manage legal migration through instituting and sustaining international standards of good practices and awareness-raising activities.

IOM has implemented TCM projects funded by different state members, including the United Kingdom, Australia and the European Commission. These projects aim to: enhance the performance of field staff; to maximize sharing of information and knowledge regarding best practices; and to strengthen and enhance cooperation between national line institutions on migration management.

IOM Turkey implemented projects have focused on staff training for Turkish agencies working on migration and border management. These initiatives have been aimed at enhancing information-sharing and decision-making abilities within these agencies by developing a professional understanding of and appreciation for the multifaceted aspects of migration management. For instance, the IOM-implemented project entitled "Consolidating and Expanding Technical Cooperation on Migration through Turkey's Field Region" was funded by the United Kingdom Embassy in Ankara.

Another project focused on fostering the implementation of the National Action Plan on migration and asylum, on contributing to curbing irregular migration and on better management of regular migration. Another example is a jointly implemented project by IOM and the Ministry of Interior entitled "Fighting Against Illegal Migration through Fraud Detection". This project's focus was on (1) training law enforcement officials to combat irregular and illegal migration; and (2) developing and establishing an interactive, continuous training module for application to border control challenges such as the detection of forged documents used to smuggle migrants through Turkey.

IOM Turkey has implemented a TCM project specifically directed to cover integrated border management. This project is designed to support Turkey's efforts to reform and modernize its border management in line with the requirements of the EU accession process for ıntegrated border management.

On regional basis, IOM Turkey is currently implementing a project entitled: "Strengthening Integrated Border Management in the Western Balkans and Turkey". The purpose of this project is to guide the development of functional, effective and integral systems for border management in line with EU standards for the Western Balkans and Turkey. The objective is to foster and enhance inter-agency bilateral and regional cooperation and coordination.

"Support the development of Integrated Border Management (IBM) Road Map for Turkey in the framework of EU Accession Requirements" focused on enhancing the national capacity to conduct integrated border management through supporting the development of a national road map to bring up to date and further implement the IBM reform by the task force within the framework of the EU accession process.

IOM Turkey seeks to encourage the establishment of a national coordination mechanism in line with the current EU accession process that would enable Turkey to harness all migration's potential to accelerate growth and prosperity. Management of labour migration in Turkey has gradually become a defining issue of and on the national agenda. IOM is working to promote national debate and create a platform for dialogue at inter-institutional levels to enhance the understanding of the complex relationship among migration, human security and community development, and to manage their effects on the Turkish socio-economic fabric.

Within this framework IOM Turkey is implementing a three-year joint project with the UN entitled "Growth with Decent Work for All: A Youth Employment Programme in Antalya". This project is funded by the Spanish Government under the Millennium Development Goal Achievement Fund with other partners including: Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Labour Organization (ILO) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The project's overall objective is to formulate and implement locally based employment policies benefiting the most vulnerable groups in the labour market within the context of Turkey's east to west migration. The joint project moreover aims to reduce youth unemployment among vulnerable young members of migrant families and increase the participation of young women in the labour force.

In parallel, IOM Turkey is participating in an operational research project aimed at assessing current and future labour migration trends. The joint project named "Independent Network of Labour Migration and Integration Experts" is being carried out in 27 EU Member States, as well as Croatia, Norway and Turkey. IOM Turkey is drafting a country report to delineate present and future labour migration trends though quantitative and qualitative research and analysis. The project will produce two policy reviews with a specific focus on: (1) the impact of migration on national employment; (2) the outcome of labour market integration policies: and (3) a thematic study on the impact of the current global economic downturn on migration trends.

To support the migration policies IOM Turkey funded a project named "Supporting the Capacities of Local Municipalities on Migration Management in Turkey". This project was designed to enhance the capacities of Turkish municipalities and strengthen their ability to deal with humanitarian and social needs of migrants in line with the Turkish framework and international best practices through training courses, a training manual and meetings.

IOM provides information, advice and support for the development of effective migration management policies and strategies. IOM conducts, coordinates research on migration issues and disseminates results of such research through publications worldwide. In this regard, IOM Turkey is implementing a specific project entitled "Supporting Turkey's Efforts on Migration Management". The objective of this initiative in Turkey is to provide a platform for academics, government officials and civil society representatives to develop an understanding of and focus for existing resources and knowledge concerning migration in a national context in order to develop models and systems which better address emerging migration challenges.

Last updated:
Main text: November 2010
Facts and figures: April 2012