The number of child sexual abuse cases that Turkish courts have adjudicated in the last 10 years has quadrupled, according to figures provided by the Justice Ministry, the Hürriyet Daily News reported.
A total of 3,718 child abuse cases were adjudicated in 2007 but ballooned to 16,041 in 2017, according to data presented by main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputy Aydın Özer. The total number for the 2007-2017 period was 153,139.
“It is wrong to view this increase as normal, to say, ‘Things like this occur in every part of the world, this is not only our problem.’ It is also wrong not to discuss solutions to children’s rights issues and to turn a blind eye to them,” Özer said.
“Children’s issues need to be prioritized within the justice system, and a children’s rights commission needs to be established in parliament. This is why when I entered parliament, the first bill I submitted was for the establishment of a permanent commission in the legislature to be called the Children’s Rights Monitoring Commission,” Özer said.
According to the data provided by the Justice Ministry, the number of child sexual assault cases heard by the courts over the last 10 years were 3,718 in 2007, 4,261 in 2008, 6,415 in 2009, 10,900 in 2010, 14,066 in 2011, 17,457 in 2012, 19,754 in 2013, 22,865 in 2014, 21,175 in 2015, 16,487 in 2016 and 16,041 in 2017.