Turkey to set up hotline for victims of human trafficking

ANKARA - Turkey is to set up a telephone hotline to help victims of human trafficking, mostly women from former Communist countries, the foreign ministry said Thursday.
The "157" hotline, which will become operational on April 15, will be staffed by Russian, Romanian and Turkish speakers who will convey emergency calls from victims or third persons to the police, the statement said.
Impoverished women from eastern Europe are lured to Turkey by criminal gangs with promises of well-paid jobs, but many of them are later forced into prostitution or other jobs in the underground labor market.

03/10/2005 18:15 GMT