Child abuse victim ‘starts new life’

ISTANBUL

The woman who was forcibly married by her father, who is the head of the foundation affiliated with İsmailağa Jamia, to a 29-year-old sect member in 2004 when she was just six, has started a new life under high protection, local media has reported.

The allegations came to the country’s agenda and caused a bombardment of cursing posts on social media platforms when a daily published the story last December.

The woman, identified only by the initials H.K.G., accused her father, Yusuf Ziya Gümüşel, the head of the Hiranur Foundation linked with İsmailağa Jamia, of forcibly marrying her to Kadir İstekli when she was six years old.

The prosecutor asked for a prison sentence of over 67 years for İstekli with charges of “child abuse” and “sexual assault.” Another 22-and-a-half-year prison sentence was asked for each of H.K.G.’s parents on the charge of “sexual harassment of children.”

H.K.G., who has been under “indefinite protection status” since 2020, when she applied to the prosecutor’s office, and her child were given new names and all identity information and personal documents of them were rearranged, said officials from family and justice ministries.

High security rules were applied in the participation of H.K.G. in social life, including intercity visits, they added. Confidentiality of new identity information is protected by provisions of the Turkish Penal Code that require imprisonment from two to six years.

Upon her own request, who underwent psychiatric treatment programs, she received literacy training and obtained primary and secondary school diplomas with open education, local media said.

While she was attending vocational training courses and cooking classes, infancy vaccinations for her child were completed.

The first hearing of the lawsuit, originally scheduled on May 22, was moved up by four months to Jan. 30.