High court acquits abuser of little girl

I swear to God I want to rip myself apart. Almost every week, I write about it – every week. Can you believe it? It won’t stop… What kind of a country are we? Sexual abuse squirts from everywhere… 

Years ago, the general belief was, “Incest? Oh, it never happens here. These kinds of disgusting things do not accord with our customs.” 

Now, Pandora’s Box has been opened; it has grandfathers, fathers and brothers in it, as well as teachers… I have forgotten how many elementary schoolteachers I have written about who have been accused of sexual abuse. These perverts have no right to besmirch the profession, the holy work of teaching. 

We should all work together to stop these men from behaving perversely. First, we have to sentence them with the highest penalty possible. We should set a deterrent. They should be so afraid that it will not even cross their minds. 

They will know that the price is high. Then we should work with all our institutions to change this perverted male mentality. 

The incident I will write about today was experienced by a 5-year-old girl. I am rebelling; I am hateful; I want to throw up. It is not possible for a normal human being to stomach what happened.  

The little girl said her 16-year-old cousin was mean to her. She has always tried to run away from him but was caught every time. When she was caught, she had to live through that horrible thing all over again. She is 5 years old; she does not even know the name of what she lived through. 

How did it come to light? One day she went to her mother crying and showed her behind. The mother understood the situation when she saw the scratch marks. She immediately went to the police and a case was opened. 

At the first hearing, the cousin was arrested. At the final hearing, the little girl said that her aunt’s husband, the father of the cousin, had also been mean to her. 

Like a horror movie; this is a chain of horridness.  

Meanwhile, I heard about this incident from Canan Güllü, the head of the Federation of Women Associations of Turkey. Due to a confidentiality order, I cannot give the place, time and name; but this is only one of the horrific realities that has happened in this country and is probably still happening somewhere.  

The abusive juvenile was sentenced to 12 years in jail. A criminal complaint was also filed against the child’s father, but a long time has passed, and no case has been opened against him. Why? Because he is a political figure in the government.  

Meanwhile, sexual abuse cases can be monitored by several NGO representatives. They want to follow this case; it is possible according to the Istanbul Convention, but, somehow, the intervention of NGOs was not accepted in this case. I wonder why. 

The lawyer of the abusive cousin appealed the case. Meanwhile, the 5-year-old little girl is undergoing rehabilitation at a university hospital. Her treatment is continuing with medication. As you can imagine, the trauma she suffered through is very severe… 

Somehow, the intervening lawyer from the Family Ministry did not arrive. In other words, the lawyer the state assigned to protect children did not do his duty. I wonder why. 

The Supreme Court of Appeals dismissed the case. The abuser was acquitted 10 months later. 

The summary of the legal decision is that the defendant did not use force, threat or deceit in the deprivation of the liberty of the victim.  

In simple language, there was no force involved; they were only playing games! 

So, what does that mean: The 5-year-old child made everything up? How could a child who does not know what a sexual act is make it up? With what imagination? How can that child know about a sexual organ and anal sex? What about the scratches on her back? What about the treatment? Why should a little 5-year-old girl have to take medication? 

For wisdom’s and logic’s sake, please speak up…   

Well, if you think the story ends here, you are wrong. 

Women’s associations keep on fighting. Actually, everything is starting now. I will follow up on this case and I will continue reporting the developments.