CHP prepares report on 'social deterioration' in Turkey

ANKARA

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A report prepared by the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputy chair Lale Karabıyık about “social deterioration” in Turkey during the 13-year rule of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) has alleged increasing rates of homicide, sexual abuse, drug addiction and sexual assault incidents. 

“Throughout the AKP’s 13-year damage, divorces have increased 37 percent, prostitution has risen 790 percent, homicide has increased 261 percent along with children’s sexual abuse with 434 percent, drug addiction with 678 percent and sexual assault by 449 percent,” said Karabıyık, adding that Turkey is now faced with homicides, violence against women, sexual abuse cases and overwhelming credit card debt.

“We see that family income-debt ratio has gone from 4.7 percent in December 2002 to 55.2 percent in December 2015. During the same period, consumers’ bank debts rose from 6.6 billion Turkish Liras to 381.9 billion liras; the farmers’ bank debts rose from 5.1 billion liras to 61.1 billion liras, and the price of a kilo of bread rose from 1.03 liras to 3.59 liras,” Karabıyık said.    

The report also included information on statistics from the Education Ministry, which stated that female students make up 97.4 percent of those students who cannot pursue their education because of marriages and engagements. 

“Unfortunately, there are 181,036 ‘child brides’ in our country. Since these marriages are made through religious procedures, we are predicting a much higher number. This sad situation, which forces our girls to be mothers…is unfortunately being normalized and legitimized due to the structure of the society,” said Karabıyık, adding that the number of juvenile convicts has also increased by five in the last five years.  

According to Karabıyık, child abuse is one of the most crucial issues of “social deterioration,” adding that people should not only think of sexual abuse when talking about child abuse. 

“Not providing necessary care to children, using children, hitting and scorning children, verbally assaulting children, showing them pornographic content, taking the children’s right to education and right to play, leaving them uncontrolled in cases where they may get hurt, demoralizing them... all constitute as child abuse,” said Karabıyık.