ELİF AKGÜL

Istanbul- The daughter of Yusuf Ziya Gümüşel, founder of the Hiranur Foundation, announced that she was forced into child marriage when she was six years old and that she was subjected to sexual assault for years. Journalist Timur Soykan announced the details of the indictment into the case to the public.

After the incident was heard in Turkey, it sparked anger in society. The documents that emerged regarding the close relationship between the Hiranur Foundation and the AKP reminders the Ensar Foundation, which was involved in a child abuse scandal in 2016. This year, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Diyarbakır former provincial chair Cihan Kayaalp was accused of sexually abusing a child; however, he was acquitted of all accusations by a court on the ground that “the child gave consent even if the incident was a sexual abuse”. When Cihan Kayaalp was released from prison, he was welcomed by his relatives and party members as if he gained an overwhelming victory.

The Lanzarote Convention is also targeted

The Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children Against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse, also known as the Lanzarote Convention, was signed on October 25 2007 in Lanzarote, Spain. All states of the Council of Europe and some other countries have signed and ratified the Convention. The convention was targeted by the ruling party and some people close to the ruling party after Turkey’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention. The recent child marriage incident, the marriage of daughter of Yusuf Ziya Gümüşel, shows how the Lanzarote Convention is important for protection of children.

‘Signing conventions is not sufficient, we must take measures’

Speaking to NuJINHA, lawyer Şükran Eroğlu, former head of the Women’s Rights Center of the Istanbul Bar Association, said that Turkey signed the convention in 2010 and ratified it in 2011. “Despite the ratification of the convention, the policy of impunity is implemented. According to the criminal code, perpetrators of crimes against children must be sentenced to very severe punishment. But in practice, we see many cases causing great sadness and public unrest. Many children, who were given to religious cults, committed suicide; however, everyone remained silent,” Şükran Eroğlu told NuJINHA.

Underlining that there is no data on abuse, rape and violence against children in Turkey, Şükran Eroğlu said, “The lack of data is a shame for Turkey. This matter is not a matter of children but also a matter of the whole society. Now, we, as a whole society, have to react to such incidents.”

Stating that the government condemned the incident as it usually does, Şükran Eroğlu said condemnation is not sufficient anymore. “Signing conventions are not sufficient. We must take measures to prevent child marriage and child abuse. When Turkey signed and ratified the convention, it promised to protect children. Turkey must keep its promise,” she said.

“Child abuse cannot be prevented because the state does not fulfill its responsibilities,” Şükran Eroğlu said, “If laws had been implemented, awareness-raising activities had been carried out, holistic policies had been developed by including public institutions, the private sector, bar associations, universities and NGOs, I am sure we would have made our way to protect children. Instead of working on protection of children and women, Turkey withdrew from the Istanbul Convention and some claim that the Lanzarote Convention is worse than the Istanbul Convention. They want to leave children and women unprotected.”

Speaking about the alleged child marriage of Yusuf Ziya Gümüşel’s daughter, she said, “No one has been arrested until now. According to the criminal code, religious marriage is a crime. However, those who practice religious marriage go unpunished. They are not arrested; they walk freely. As a 40-year lawyer, I now have difficulty in understanding this impunity.”

‘Why does the President remain silent?’

Pointing out that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who governs the country by issuing “presidential decrees”, remains silent about this incident, Şükran Eroğlu said, “As a citizen living in this country, I am waiting for an explanation from the President. Why doesn't the President make a statement on such an important issue that sparks anger in society? Why isn't an investigation launched into such cults? We demand the protection of children and women.”