The columnist Ayşe Arman, of the daily newspaper Hürriyet, has wrote the case of a 5,5-year-old child who was sexually abused by a 16-year-old boy and his father. The boy, cousin of the child, was sentenced to 12 years and later on acquitted due to "lack of evidence" by the decision of the court of cassation, but his father was not even tried in a court allegedly for being ruling AKP party member.
The child told her mother that her sixteen years old cousin (aunt’s son) did harm to her. The mother noticing the irritations at the anus of her daughter, went to the police station and the trial began. During the trial, the child also said that the father of her cousin has done the same thing to her.
"The abuser, who is a child, is sentenced to 12 years. An official complaint against the child’s father was also made but the case is still not opened after all that time. Because the father is a political figure from AKP! The aunt’s lawyer appeals the case since her son is sentenced to 12 years. Supreme Court of Appeal dismisses the case. The abuser is released after 10 months," wrote Arman.
Meanwhile, 5,5 years old child is put under rehabilitation at a university hospital. Later the child continues the treatment with medicine.
"According to the evidence collected under the case file, it was not proved that the suspect used force, threat or trick to keep the victim. Since the incident is treated under Article 109 section 1 of Turkey’s Criminal Code and the act doesn’t involve depriving a person from his freedom, the case is dismissed," said the court in the justification of the decision.
The name of the injured person and date and place of the case being hidden due to the confidentiality order, the columnist Arman reports the incident from the President of the Women Federations of Turkey (TKDF).
According to the Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, also known as İstanbul Convention, representatives of some NGOs have the right to intervene as a party in such lawsuits. However, the demand of the NGOs was curiously denied.
Intervening lawyer of the Ministry of Family and Social Policy doesn’t attain the trials. In other words, the lawyer charged with protecting children by the state doesn’t do his duty.
Child molestation cases increased by 700 percent in the past 10 years in Turkey. Sexual abuse in religious schools and dorms especially increased under the AKP rule.
The intervening lawyer’s absence, in this case, is another sign of negligence of the Ministry of Family. Meanwhile, according to official data, the number of children who need protection and care by the state increased rapidly in recent years. Increasingly, more children’s physical and mental health is left to a negligent government’s initiative.
