Girl gets pregnant after being sexually abused despite complaints she filed with court in Turkey’s west

Gülden Aydın – İZMİR

A 14-year-old child was left pregnant through sexual abuse after her complaints regarding her uncle’s molestations were ignored by a court in the Örencik village of the Kiraz district in the western province of İzmir. The village previously made headlines when it emerged that girls were being sold for marriage.

The child, identified only by the initials M.A., took refuge in a gendarmerie headquarters, saying that she was subjected to sexual abuse by her uncle, identified only as Mehmet, 33, two years ago, but the officials had sent her back to her family. She was then raped by several people. 

M.A., who now is eight months pregnant, is left with no other option but to give birth to the child as she has missed the abortion period. 

Born on Dec. 15, 2003, M.A. never had the chance to get to know her mother, who had escaped from the house when she was only 1.5 years old. M.A. was raised by her father, identified only as Ali A., and her grandmother, Fatma A. 

In October 2015, M.A. notified the gendarmerie about the sexual abuse she was subjected to, which resulted in Mehmet’s arrest on charges of “sexually abusing a child.” In the trial held three months after Mehmet’s arrest, M.A. changed her testimony, which enabled her uncle’s release. The court ruled M.A. to be sent back to her father’s house, wherein Mehmet was also living, rather than putting her under state protection. 

M.A. felt abandoned in the village, after villagers turned their backs on her. She left school after rumors spread across her school. 

She started suffering from stomach aches on March 14 and her father took her to a state hospital, where it was revealed that she was 32 weeks pregnant. A prosecutor’s office and the gendarmerie took action after the hospital notified them about the pregnancy.

M.A. said she was sexually abused by a 22-year-old man, identified only by the initials Y.K. He was arrested the same day. She was then, again, sent back home. 

A driver, identified only as S.O., was also detained over the incident on March 17, however, despite all the cases, she was once again sent back home, when instead she should have been taken under protection. 

However, on March 17, Kiraz Mayor Saliha Özçınar called the İzmir Family and Social Policies Provincial Directorate and managed to get M.A. under safety. 

Speaking about the incident, the grandmother, Fatma, said M.A. should return home after giving birth to the baby. 

“She didn’t tell anybody about the events that happened because she was concerned that her father would beat her up. Who is going to take care of me now? She should come back to her home after giving birth to the baby,” the grandmother told daily Hürriyet. 

Meanwhile, Mehmet refuted sexually abusing the child. “No such thing happened. She was angry at me and notified the gendarmerie in revenge,” he told daily Hürriyet. 

Speaking about the incident, M.A.’s father Ali A. said he hopes his daughter would return to him and leave the baby to the state. 

“She was good at school. She should return after giving birth. I will take her to school myself,” Ali A. said, adding that he did not believe his daughter’s statements that she was sexually abused by his brother. 

The case into Mehmet is ongoing and his latest hearing was held on March 1.

Özçınar, meanwhile, said she had a nervous breakdown after she found out that M.A. was given back to her father despite all the sexual abuse cases. 

“She is now kept in a children’s home. I’m very nervous. Even though I intensified the educational programs in the villages, the incidents are continuing. The village head notifies us after all is done,” Özçınar said.