Turkey eyes ‘increased punishment’ for child abusers

ERZURUM – Anadolu Agency

A legislation package targeting child abuse will be submitted to parliament within the next 10 days, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Recep Akdağ said on Feb. 24.

“Several of our ministries, including the Justice Ministry and the Family and Social Policies Ministry, have been working on it. In the shortest time, within 10 days, we will submit the package, including the necessary legal amendments, to the parliament,” Akdağ told reporters in the eastern Turkish province of Erzurum.

“We will increase the punishments,” he said, and added that chemical castration would be “a small part of the measures” to be taken. On Feb. 20, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also warned that child abuse cases, which have recently seen an apparent spike, could “lead to the collapse of our society.”

“It is our responsibility to safeguard the innocent—who are a part of our lives—from all kinds of threats and danger, in addition to raising them and ensuring their survival,” he said.