Judiciary condones sexual assault, says CHP lawmaker

ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News

Police detain a man in a case on the alleged rape of a girl by 29 men in Gölcük.

Dubious court decisions on cases of sexual assault targeting women have prompted a deputy from the main opposition party to accuse the judiciary of encouraging violence against women.

Remarks by Aylin Nazlıaka, Ankara deputy of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), came following a controversial case in Gölcük, Kocaeli, in which a 13-year-old girl was allegedly raped by 29 men.

“These meControversialn are claiming that it was not rape but that it was in exchange for money. They are supported by the judiciary,” Nazlıaka said, speaking at a press conference held in the Parliament on April 12.

Nazlıaka warned that the judiciary should never again condone such shameful acts by its rulings, while declaring that she would be monitoring closely the recent case of sexual assault towards the 13-year-old child. 

In the first quarter of 2013, 33 women were raped, 65 women and two babies were subject to violence and 45 women were abused, said Nazlıaka, without referring to a specific source.

The CHP deputy was particularly critical of the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) policies on women, claiming that the unemployment rate for women had risen to 11.9 percent within one year, and that out of every 100 newly unemployed people, 91 of them were women.

In an effort to tackle cases of violence against women, Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has, meanwhile, announced the establishment of two bureaus, the “Bureau of Discrimination and Crimes Committed against Sexual Immunity” and the “Bureau of Legal Means”, Anatolian news agency reported on April 12. The former emerged as an initiative to stop violence against women, especially assaults of a sexual nature.