This is something that breaks my heart and soul, yet it is the reality that we must ardently battle. Armenian girls are returning to the homeland after the Genocide…. now as prostitutes. What a disgrace, what a shame, what a blasphemy….

Armenian Prostitutes in Turkey
[December 5, 2005]

A few months ago, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, stated in a speech that Turkey hosts around 40,000 Armenian citizens. What are so many Armenians doing in different locations within Turkey? They are mainly in trade, working in the service industry, or, painful as it is to admit it, involved in the sex business. Armenians are going to a country with whom Armenia does not even have diplomatic relations, which means that Armenian citizens can expect no support from their country, in the event that their rights are violated in Turkey, or if, for instance, they are involved in an accident of some sort. Although Armenians do not have diplomatic relations, traveling to Turkey is easy and inexpensive. There are a number of travel agencies in the center of Yerevan where you can get an entry visa and a bus ticket to different destinations in Turkey from various Armenian cities. A large percentage of travelers to Turkey choose to go by bus.

The Armenian authorities do not have any clear numbers regarding Armenian prostitutes in Turkey. Our preliminary investigation suggests that there are more Armenian prostitutes in Turkey than there are in the United Arab Emirates. Clearly, most women are driven to prostitution by necessity. It is women in socially vulnerable groups – those who cannot feed their children or their parents- that are usually the ones who end up choosing the path of prostitution.

(read the whole article at HETQ, unless you are in Dubai, where the website is blocked by the government)