Prostitution in Turkey
Encyclopedia
Prostitution in Turkey is legal and regulated. Brothels are also legal. However, many local governments now have a policy of not issuing new registrations, and in some cities, such as Ankara
and Bursa, brothels have been demolished by court order.
is regulated under article 227 of the Turkish Penal Code (Law No. 5237).
Promoting prostitution is punishable by two to four years imprisonment. The passport
law
forbids entry to Turkey for the purposes of prostitution.
Brothels (Genelev) are legal and licensed under health laws dealing with sexually transmitted infections. Women need to be registered and acquire an ID card stating the dates of their health
checks. It is mandatory for registered prostitutes to undergo regular health checks for sexually transmitted diseases. The police
are allowed to check the authenticity of registered prostitutes to determine whether they have been examined properly and to ensure they see the health authorities if they don't. However men cannot register under this regulation. Most sex workers, however, are unregistered, as local governments have made it policy not to issue new registrations.
Other regulations affecting sex workers in Turkey include the Misdemeanor
Law, article 32.
However the application of this law has been quite controversial.
In some cities, such as Ankara
and Bursa, brothels have been demolished by court order.
is a top destination for victims of human trafficking
in relation to the sex trade, according to a report produced by the UNDOC. Source countries for identified victims of trafficking in 2008 included Turkmenistan
, Uzbekistan
, Armenia
, Moldova
, Kyrgyzstan
, Russia
, Georgia
, Ukraine
, Azerbaijan
, Romania
, Kazakhstan
, Belarus
, Bulgaria
, Indonesia
, Greece
and Morocco
. Notably, Russian organized crime syndicates engage in trafficking of women for prostitution, and Russian, Polish, and Ukrainian women have turned up in many European countries, including Turkey. According to reports appearing in 2006, the country was quickly becoming one of the largest markets for sex slaves from former Soviet states: "Around 5,000 women, more than half from Moldova and Ukraine, are believed to be working as sex slaves across Turkey."
the queen of Turkish brothel
s and one of the country’s wealthiest women in Turkey died. She built a chain of 32 brothels.
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
and Bursa, brothels have been demolished by court order.
Legal status
Prostitution (Fuhuş) in TurkeyTurkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
is regulated under article 227 of the Turkish Penal Code (Law No. 5237).
Promoting prostitution is punishable by two to four years imprisonment. The passport
Passport
A passport is a document, issued by a national government, which certifies, for the purpose of international travel, the identity and nationality of its holder. The elements of identity are name, date of birth, sex, and place of birth....
law
forbids entry to Turkey for the purposes of prostitution.
Brothels (Genelev) are legal and licensed under health laws dealing with sexually transmitted infections. Women need to be registered and acquire an ID card stating the dates of their health
Health
Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
checks. It is mandatory for registered prostitutes to undergo regular health checks for sexually transmitted diseases. The police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
are allowed to check the authenticity of registered prostitutes to determine whether they have been examined properly and to ensure they see the health authorities if they don't. However men cannot register under this regulation. Most sex workers, however, are unregistered, as local governments have made it policy not to issue new registrations.
Other regulations affecting sex workers in Turkey include the Misdemeanor
Misdemeanor
A misdemeanor is a "lesser" criminal act in many common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished much less severely than felonies, but theoretically more so than administrative infractions and regulatory offences...
Law, article 32.
However the application of this law has been quite controversial.
In some cities, such as Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
and Bursa, brothels have been demolished by court order.
Illegal prostitution
Illegal prostitution is classified as operating a brothels without being licensed, being a prostitute without having health checkups, being a prostitute without having a license, and being a sex worker without being registered. All forms of illegal prostitution are punishable with a maximum of 1 year imprisonment.Strip clubs
Strips clubs are also present in current Turkey. Strip clubs must also be licensed and strippers must be registered and have regular health checkups. All persons entering strip clubs must be at least 18 years old.Sex worker's rights
In 2008, activists and sex workers in Turkey announced they were working on a project to establish Turkey’s first sex workers union.Demographics
| Item | Census data |
|---|---|
| The number of prostitutes | 100,000 |
| prostitutes are registered in 56 brothels operating | 3,000 |
| prostitutes registered with the police | 15,000 |
| women waiting to get licenses | 30,000 |
| age of prostitution | between 15 and 40 |
| annual turnover | $3–4 billion |
Human trafficking
TurkeyTurkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
is a top destination for victims of human trafficking
Human trafficking
Human trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings for the purposes of reproductive slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor, or a modern-day form of slavery...
in relation to the sex trade, according to a report produced by the UNDOC. Source countries for identified victims of trafficking in 2008 included Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan , formerly also known as Turkmenia is one of the Turkic states in Central Asia. Until 1991, it was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic . Turkmenistan is one of the six independent Turkic states...
, Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....
, Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
, Moldova
Moldova
Moldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...
, Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan , officially the Kyrgyz Republic is one of the world's six independent Turkic states . Located in Central Asia, landlocked and mountainous, Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the east...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
, Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
. Notably, Russian organized crime syndicates engage in trafficking of women for prostitution, and Russian, Polish, and Ukrainian women have turned up in many European countries, including Turkey. According to reports appearing in 2006, the country was quickly becoming one of the largest markets for sex slaves from former Soviet states: "Around 5,000 women, more than half from Moldova and Ukraine, are believed to be working as sex slaves across Turkey."
Popular culture
On 17 February 2001, Armenian Madam Matild ManukyanMatild Manukyan
Matild Manukyan was a wealthy Turkish businesswoman of Armenian descent. She was a real property investor that later made a fortune in brothel business.-Biography:...
the queen of Turkish brothel
Brothel
Brothels are business establishments where patrons can engage in sexual activities with prostitutes. Brothels are known under a variety of names, including bordello, cathouse, knocking shop, whorehouse, strumpet house, sporting house, house of ill repute, house of prostitution, and bawdy house...
s and one of the country’s wealthiest women in Turkey died. She built a chain of 32 brothels.