Suspected pedophile nabbed amid protest against pedophilia in southern Turkey

ANTALYA

A suspected pedophile was detained in the southern Turkish province of Antalya on July 8 during a nearby protest against sexual abuse of children.

The man, identified by Demirören News Agency as Rahim K., allegedly harassed a 12-year-old girl on a beach in Konyaaltı district, starting by asking her sexually suggestive questions.

After the man attempted to take her out of the sea, the girl cried for help, yelling “There is a sexual abuser here,” which alarmed her family.

The girl’s parents, who came to Turkey from Germany for holiday, reportedly caught the suspect with the help of other beach-goers and delivered him to the police.

The agency noted that the man “barely escaped from the hands of the angry crowd.”

While the incident was happening on the beach, a small protest against child abuse was ongoing some 20 meters away, led by three university students.

Eylül Çalbay, one of the students, said their “Silent Protest” was aimed at raising awareness about the increasing number of sexual abuse incidents in which children have fallen as victims.

“Enough is enough. Another incident has happened just now on the beach here. These attacks will continue as long as no precautions are taken,” Çalbay said.

Thousands of Turks took to the streets in a number of cities last week to protest recent cases of sexual abuse and murders of children.

Eylül Yağlıkara, 8, was found dead on June 1, buried by an electricity pole in Ankara. One suspect was detained and an autopsy report revealed that the girl had been sexually abused.

Leyla Aydemir, 4, was also reported lost in the eastern province of Ağrı on June 15. She was found dead on July 2 in a nearby shallow creek, as officials pointed to a possible kidnapping.