Ankara Bar Association Child Rights Center and Gelincik Center Member Atty. Ceren Kalay Eken, on the other hand, stated that the punishments for the murder and abuse of children are insufficient.
Child abduction incidents have increased in Turkey recently. Finally, the discovery of the lifeless body of 8-year-old Eylül, who disappeared 7 days ago in Ankara, brought up the issue of child abuse again. The measures taken in crimes against children and the inadequacy of the punishments given to the offenders caused controversy. Stating that it is important for children to receive privacy education, experts emphasized that both families and authorities have a great responsibility.
Ankara Bar Association Child Rights Center and Poppy Center Member Atty. Ceren Kalay Eken, pointing to the recent abduction and disappearance of children, said, “Violence against children has become a phenomenon that we come across much more often both because it is more visible and because it has increased. This includes sexual abuse as well as physical and emotional abuse. We do not yet know the details of the murder of 7-year-old Eylül in Ankara, but the killer is a relative of Eylül. In cases of violence and killing against a child, committing the act against the child is sentenced to aggravated life sentence in the Turkish Penal Code. However, it cannot be said that a heavy sentence such as life imprisonment is always a deterrent.
Stating that the measures taken and the practitioners in crimes against children are insufficient, Atty. Ceren Kalay Eken said, “The measures taken and the judges, prosecutors, lawyers and law enforcement personnel in the courthouse are insufficient. There are also many measures in the Law No. 6284 on the Protection of the Family, and judges and prosecutors are given unlimited authority. However, in practice, we see that these measures and powers are used very limitedly. While this is the case, we observe that the incidents of child abuse are increasing day by day. In addition, it is a fact that families and children are not sufficiently informed. It is not enough for a person to be severely punished after the crime has been committed. The family and the authorities must take all the precautions, and the child must also receive the necessary education,” he said.
Hunting. Ceren Kalay Eken said, “As a lawyer who has been working in the field of children for a long time, I can say that it is much more important to focus on preventive measures and interventions in mild cases of crime. For example, if the crime of those who are found to have sexual desire for a child remains in the dimension of molestation, the punishments are quite light and the arrest may not be given most of the time. Moreover, even if he is punished, it does not act as a deterrent. It is definitely not right for people in this situation to be released back to the society,” he said, adding that the person could commit this crime again and make others victims.
A statement came from the government’s wing regarding the debates on whether the sentences given after child abuse and child murders are sufficient. Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdağ reminded the regulation of chemical castration against child abuse incidents that have been on the agenda recently, and said, “We will put into effect the measure we call sexual castration in the new period with all its aspects.” said. Bozdag said, “A brutal murder. As Turkey, we have taken serious measures to prevent such murders as a government so far. We have previously announced that we will review these measures and take steps to further increase the penalties in the coming period, but these regulations could not be made due to the intervention of the election,” he said, adding that steps will be taken to further increase the penalties in these matters in the new period.
Specialist Pedagog İnci Aydın stated that there are many types of child abuse and said, “There are examples of physical abuse, sexual abuse, verbal abuse and emotional abuse that can have negative effects on children. In recent child abduction cases, it is necessary to look at why the person abducts children. People who do this definitely have psychological problems and they harm our children as a result of these problems. Both the authorities and the family should be very careful about the abused children. For this purpose, there are Child Monitoring Centers used in cases of violence and abuse against children in our country. In these centers, children testify about the abuse they experience in the presence of a psychologist. With this system, the traumatic effect of the event on the child can be reduced a little more. However, there are negative effects on the subconscious of children who have been abused and psychotherapy should definitely be applied.
Aydın said, “When we look at the examples of pedophilia, we see that these people were exposed to sexual abuse in childhood and these individuals may turn to sexual deviance in the future. For this reason, children who have been sexually abused should definitely get the support of an expert pedagogue. Privacy lessons are already being taught by experts for our children in schools. Apart from this, the public should definitely be made aware of the seminars to be held. It is necessary to create a social awareness against child abuse. For example, after the age of 4-5, a child can be given privacy education, that is, education to protect their private parts. A child who learns to touch well and badly can complain to his parents when he encounters an abuse,” he said, emphasizing the importance of the education to be given to children.
The search for Leyla Aydemir (4), who disappeared 17 days ago on the 1st day of Ramadan Feast in Ağrı, resumed in the early hours of the morning. While the teams are searching the village and its surroundings, suspicious areas are also excavated and controlled. The search for Leyla Aydemir, who disappeared on the morning of June 15 in the village of Bezirhane, connected to the center, resumed in the early hours of the morning. Cadaver search dogs are also used in the searches, in which the Ministry of Interior, Gendarmerie General Command, AFAD and medical teams, JAK team, guards and hunters participate. While the abandoned buildings are being checked, the search for soft ground in and around the village continues. The Van AFAD teams, which have come to the village and contributed to the work since the first day of Leyla’s disappearance, continue their work from where they left off. Team chief Faysal Işık stated that they continued to search every place down to the last detail.