Istanbul police rescue, deport two Ugandan women forced into prostitution

ISTANBUL

Two Ugandan women who were forced into prostitution in Istanbul have been rescued by the Turkish police in an operation and later deported, daily Sözcü reported on Jan. 14.

On Jan. 10, law enforcement officials contacted the suspect who forced them into prostitution, identified only by the initials V.F., through social media and said they wanted an appointment with the women.

Police officers, posing as clients to the man who threatened and advertised the women as prostitutes online, then went to an address in Istanbul’s Güngören district, detaining the suspect before taking him to a police station.

The women, a 23-year-old and a 30-year-old, had come to Turkey on a tourist visa, the report said.

But as the women were seeking jobs upon their arrival, they met V.F., who promised to give them jobs at a hair salon, according to the report.

After the police rescued them, the Ugandan women underwent health inspections and were found to have been carrying contagious diseases.

The women were then deported from Turkey by the order of the City Migration Administration and the suspect was arrested by an Istanbul court.