Turkish mafia boss Çakıcı congratulates Father’s Day of Erdoğan and Bahçeli
Turkey was recorded as the country with the highest level of organized
crime in Europe, according to the 2023 report of the Global Organized Crime
Index.
Sept 28, 2023. Posted by Balkan
Periscope - Hellas
Turkey ranks 14th among 193 UN members in terms of the level of organized
crime and first in Europe, according to the International Organized Crime
Initiative’s Global Organized Crime Index 2023 Report
In the index, where scores between 1-10 are given and high rates correspond to the high rates of organized crime, Turkey scored 7.03 with an increase of 0.15 points compared to 2021.
However, the country rose from 12th to 14th place compared to 2021.
Organized crime is defined as “illegal activities, conducted by groups or
networks acting in concert, by engaging in violence, corruption or related
activities in order to obtain, directly or indirectly, a financial or material
benefit.”
The report noted that various mafia groups in Turkey were reported to have
established close ties with the government and other politicians, providing
protection from the police and judiciary.
Turkey emerges as vital hub for drug trafficking
connecting continents: Report
The Index assesses countries based on two key aspects: the extent and
magnitude of criminal activities on one hand and their capacity to resist and
combat organized crime on the other.
State-linked criminal actors and human trafficking were recorded as the
worst areas where Turkey scored 9 points. Turkey's score for arms trafficking,
heroin trafficking, and mafia-like criminal groups is 8.5.
In the resilience score, where higher scores indicate better state
protection mechanisms, Turkey dropped 0.17 points to 3.38. Turkey lost points
in government accountability, territorial integrity, prevention, and non-state
actors categories.
According to the report, Turkey's geographical location at the crossroads
between Asia, the Middle East, and Europe and its long borders make it an
important transit and destination country for human trafficking and human
smuggling.
Particularly, human trafficking for sexual exploitation and forced labor purposes is increasingly becoming prevalent in Turkey. As the country continues to host a significant refugee population, human traffickers exploit the vulnerability of these communities, forcing women and children into human trafficking for sexual exploitation.
The report also pointed to the growing prevalence of forced marriages of
young girls through informal religious ceremonies as an economic coping
mechanism in the country, which is reeling from a deep economic crisis.
In addition to criminal networks, state actors are also involved in, or at
least facilitate, trafficking in human beings, according to the report.
The report stated that Turkey played a key role in the smuggling of
migrants from countries such as Syria and Afghanistan to Europe and also became
a transit point for Africa by easing visa requirements.
The report also drew attention to the fact that although Turkey has not
historically been on the international cocaine trafficking route, the increase
in the amount of cocaine seized over the last few years is thought to be a
result of a change in transport routes due to the high number of seizures in
the Americas and Europe.
duvar
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