E/CN.4/1999/61/Add.1 page 6 unofficial sources, sophisticated torture is more prevalent with the police, while rough beating is more commonly used by the jandarma. 16. The phenomenon of abducting and torturing or ill-treating people without bringing them into custody has allegedly increased in the past few years, especially in Istanbul and Ankara, as a method of circumventing the new regulations on custody periods. According to lawyers, individuals are taken to a remote place to be interrogated, where they are beaten and threatened. In the majority of cases, the security forces want these individuals to become informers. For instance, it was reported to the Special Rapporteur that on 4 March 1998, following a public demonstration by the Confederation of Public Labour Unions in Ankara, Taylan Genç was abducted by three plainclothes policemen and driven to an empty field. There he was asked to become an informer and threatened with death when he refused. 17. Some specific problems exist with regard to children. The phenomenon of the torture of street children, generally charged with stealing, is increasing, especially following the recent immigration from the south-east to large cities like Istanbul and Ankara. For example, five children between the ages of six and eight were allegedly tortured on 4 June 1998 at the Security Directorate in Beyo—lu, Istanbul. Asrin YeÕiller (7 years old), Ya—mur Tanrisevergil (8 years old), Sultan Tanrisevergil (6 years old), Mihriban Tomak (6 years old) and Inanç Çaki (8 years old) were reportedly beaten and sexually harassed by police officers. The certificate issued by the Forensic Medicine Institute stated that the children could not work for seven days. With respect to children in general, it is a cause for concern that special protections for minors, including the immediate provision of a lawyer, is considerably narrowed when they are accused of a crime falling under the jurisdiction of the State Security Courts. 18. Many non-governmental sources, and also some authorities, stated that torture has a social basis. Beating and similar measures are used as a means of correction and discipline within the family, at school and during military service. Therefore, collecting evidence by the use of beatings and torture is considered normal by some police officers, especially those with a low level of education. Issues relating to the role of medical personnel, public prosecutors, the judiciary and detention periods will be addressed in separate sections below. B. Information concerning police and jandarma stations 19. The police have primary jurisdiction for security in urban areas, while the jandarma cover non-municipal areas, which represent 92 per cent of the country. The Minister of the Interior underlined that there are 200,000 policemen and 300,000 jandarma and it is possible that some of them occasionally may engage in some wrongdoing because of a lack of training or the psychology of the moment. Human rights departments have been created within the Directorate of Security and the Jandarma in order to provide in-house training on human rights and to find ways of reducing allegations of torture and ill-treatment against the security forces to a minimum.