DİLEK GÜL

Istanbul- Gizem, Arda, Eylül, Leyla and thousands more... Child sexual abuse cases are increasing day by day in Turkey. 440 thousand children under the age of 18 gave birth in Turkey in the last 16 years, according to the report of the Human Rights Association (İHD) Istanbul Branch Child Rights Commission. 482,908 girls under the age of 18 were married with the permission of the state in the last 10 years, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute. These figures show how sexual violence against children is at an alarming level. These figures don’t include the cases hidden by families. 142,000 children, became pregnant after being raped, were forced into religious marriage in the last six years. And Turkey ranked 18th out of 60 countries in 2019 Out of the Shadows Index on the response to child sexual abuse and exploitation, with a score of 56.7.

“There is a long way to go”

Why child sexual abuse cases cannot be prevented? What should we do to prevent child sexual abuse cases? We spoke to Clinical Psychologist Suna Bayram about what we can do to prevent child sexual abuse.

Although child sexual abuse cases spark anger on social media platforms, society still has no awareness, Suna Bayram emphasized. “Experts, politicians, NGOs, public institutions, artists, and opinion leaders of the society should work together to raise the awareness of the public.  There is a long way to go. Children are exploited not only sexually, but also emotionally, economically, educationally,” Suna Bayram told our news agency.

Pay attention to the people close to you

“All restrictions on the rights and freedom of children are abuse,” Suna Bayram said cases of incest against children are at an alarming level, “When children are subjected to incest, their families can hide these crimes. Some mothers keep silent to protect, ‘their families’ while some mothers blame children for destroying their families.” Suna Bayram warned families and said, “People who sexually abuse children are often people close to the children. Children are mostly subjected to sexual abuse by their neighbors, relatives, and shopkeepers. Families should be careful about the people close to them.”

How can parents understand their child has been sexually abused?

Suna Bayram advised parents to watch their children’s behaviors and she said, “Children who have been sexually abused may display a range of emotional and behavioral reactions such as withdrawn behavior, angry outbursts, anxiety, depression, or sleep problems. In this process, professional support should be provided for children to understand their emotions. Family members also need support in this process because parents, siblings, and relatives may feel guilty. Children should learn the difference between okay and not okay touches,”

Child marriage is a sexual abuse

Child marriage is sexual abuse against children, Suna Bayram said, “Child marriage is physical, emotional, economic, and sexual abuse. Victims of child marriage are expected to be responsible for domestic chores when they cannot do the housework; they are subjected to physical and verbal violence.”