"Don't stay silent in the face of abuse" (by Serra Akcan/csgorselarsiv.org)
Click to read the article in Turkish
Subjected to sexual abuse in Turkey's Aegean province of Uşak, the 2-year-old child has been out of intensive care. Taken to the Uşak Training and Research Hospital for physical abuse on Saturday (April 10), the child has been in treatment at hospital since then.
While marks of abuse were found on the child's body, s/he had a cerebral hemorrhage due to the violence s/he had been subjected to.
Yeşim Aydın, an attorney for the Saadet Teacher Association Against Child Abuse (UCİM), has said that the male defendant named Yaşar E. has been arrested and sent to prison. She has underlined that the man has 17 offenses in his criminal record, eight of them are sexual abuse.
"Because these men are released and walk around freely, they keep on committing the same crime," Yeşim Aydın has protested.
Neighbors reported the incident
Attorney Aydın has shared the following information:
"The child is still in hospital, the mother is with her/him. S/he has been out of intensive care, but still in treatment at hospital. Living in İzmir, the mother and father got a divorce. The mother started living with this man in Uşak. The abuse was ongoing for a month.
"Unable to withstand the voices, the neighbors filed a complaint on Saturday. That was how the issue was taken before the court. The mother and the child had protection orders as well. But the mother might also face charges, such as not reporting the crime... Because they were at the same house. We got in touch with the father for this reason. The defendant has been arrested and sent to prison. We will receive a warrant of attorney from the father today.
"In the meantime, the prosecutor acted in a very elaborate manner. The child's clothes at home and her/his body were examined. The prosecutor worked in a very meticulous manner. The defendant does not plead guilty, but all collected evidence points at this man."
UCİM Vice Chair Yücel Ceyhan has also said, "I greet the neighbors who reported the person who tortured and abused our 2-year-old child with respect and gratitude. Reporting is the duty of every citizen, both conscientiously and legally..." (AÖ/SD)
