User:Rahjah10/sandbox

 Background 

By the early 1900s, the approximated number of registered prostitutes was 2,000. Within this population, a study done in 1919-1920 concluded that sixty percent of these women were non-Muslim and forty percent were Muslim; however, this number did not account for the prostitutes who were working illegally. Throughout the years, an increasing amount of women began to resort to prostitution as a means of financial income. Many women who resorted to prostitution did so due to being single mothers, homelessness, poverty, and to afford childcare services. While only registered and unmarried women over the age of eighteen can work in state-regulated brothels, those un-registered are forced to work outside the system. Thus, non-registered women had to work in illegal brothels, as streetwalkers, and sell sexual services from their homes.

 Sex Work 

The sex trade in Turkey takes many forms, including escort prostitution, street prostitution, and prostitution conducted in brothels. More specifically, brothels (Genelevs), are state-run, with bodyguards appointed by the police. As of 2011, there were about 56 state-licensed brothels. It is estimated that the Turkish sex market includes about 100,000 Turkish sex workers (legal and illegal) and about 30,000 to 50,000 foreign sex workers. While the sex trade takes many forms, those who work as indoor prostitutes have more advantages than those who engage in street prostitution. This may be attributed to the fact that those who work outdoors are prone to be robbed, harassed, and sexually abused. While indoor prostitution poses a better option, to work indoors, women must be registered, unmarried, and over the age of eighteen.

In addition, women once registered are unable to work outside of the sex industry unless they receive approval from the police. Although the state-run brothels were initially created to regulate the spread of venereal diseases, they now pose a threat to infringing the rights of sex workers. Once women register as sex workers, they are required to register their home address, allowing the police to raid their homes at any moment. Not only do they give up their privacy, but registered sex workers also live in a constant fear of their neighbors and family members finding out their profession, due to the stigma surrounding sex work in Turkey.

A 2010 survey of registered sex workers revealed that 66% were single, 8% married, and 26% were previously married. And on average 25% of registered women completed primary school while only 10% completed middle school. Furthermore, a lack of childcare services and low income contributed to the reasons why many sex workers resorted to sex work. While sex workers are currently being portrayed by the media as "entrepreneurs" and "seekers of happiness," these statistics reveal how the majority of prostitutes were forced into the sex market as a result of various socio-economic factors.

Legal Status
Though laws were enacted to regulate prostitution and the spread of venereal diseases, these laws harm sex workers more than benefit them. Sex workers must be tested for STDs twice a week at hospitals designated for registered sex workers. While no law incriminates illegal sex workers, they can still be subjected to a medical examination if caught by law enforcement. Although laws and policies regarding prostitution in Turkey aim to benefit public health, they fail to take into account the rights of sex workers. Despite strict regulations on health checks, the men who pay for sex are not subjected to any medical examination for STDs. This is likely due to the government’s efforts to keep brothels open for “men’s sexual needs.” The tolerance of male sexuality and the lack of medical examination, punishment, or any penalty for clients who buy sex fuel the growth of the sex business in Turkey.

Illegal Prostitution
Indoor prostitution in Turkey is regulated and legal, while escort services are both illegal and unregulated. Clients can go on websites that offer sexual services because these web pages have no age requirement to use them. This enables both clients and sex workers of all ages to use the website as they please. Escorts can work independently from the convenience of their homes or any location of their choosing. This also enables male and transgender sex workers who are not legally allowed to sell sex, to use such platforms to find clients.

 Foreign Sex Work 

Turkey is considered a top 10 destination country for foreigners due to its lenient visa policy. And as a result of its geographical location, many citizens of neighboring countries are able to travel to Turkey. They can stay from thirty to ninty days, which in turn provides economic benefits to the country. According to the World Tourism Organization, Turkey ranked 7th in 2009 as a destination country for international tourism. However, the Turkish Passport Law “forbids individuals from entering the country solely for the purpose of prostitution” and it is illegal for unregistered workers and foreigners to perform any type of sex work. Data from 2001 to 2009 reveal that 24,750 voluntary sex workers were deported; of these deportees, 27% were diagnosed with STDs. Many of these migrant and foreign women who are in the sex industry are considered by law to be criminal offenders. Foreign women usually leave their countries in hopes of finding domestic labor to support themselves and their families; however, as a result of the stigmatization they face when arriving in Turkey, they resort to prostitution.

Foreign and migrant sex workers have been painted in the media as the cause of the spread of venereal diseases such as HIV/AIDS. During the late 1980s and 1990s, as the HIV/AIDS crisis was at its peak, media coverage in Turkey portrayed many migrant sex workers as the reason why HIV/AIDS spread across national borders. Migrant and queer sex workers became associated with sexual objects/bodies that caused HIV/AIDS to spread to Turkey. This type of media caused a greater panic in Turkish citizens and the government, eventually leading to police raids of migrant workers' homes, mandatory STD tests, and deportation. Migrant workers to this day are both feared and hated. They are seen as individuals who came to Turkey to steal loyal Turkish husbands and employment.

 Transgender Sex Work 

Generally, most transgender individuals in Turkey who are in the sex industry experience structural violence and by law are excluded from selling sex legally. Transgender sex workers are the most vulnerable and susceptible to violence and harassment as they are forced to work outside legal institutions. Thus, they typically engage in street prostitution, and many struggle with homelessness and poverty. According to the 2011 report by the Human Resource Development Foundation, there are about 4,000 transgender sex workers in Istanbul and a total of 8,000 to 10,000 trans-women in all major cities in Turkey. According to a study done by NIH in March of 2021, there are about 30,447 female sex workers and 15,780 transgender sex workers in Istanbul, Turkey. The Global Network of Sex Work Projects found that between 2008 and 2012, thirty-one transgender sex workers were killed in Turkey. According to another study, between 2009 and 2015, thirty-seven transgender homicides were committed. Turkey is known to have the highest transgender homicide rates in all of Europe. However, women who are trans and sex workers, are subjected to the most physical and sexual violence from both clients and police officers.

 Male Sex Work 

There is an estimated 11,656 male sex workers in Istanbul, Turkey.