7,000 out of 20,000 children abused in Turkey in one year gave birth

According to data from the Ministry of Justice, 'abuse' cases were filed for 20,000 children in Turkey. Forensic Medicine Specialist Prof. Dr. Mehmet Şevki Sözen stated that 7,000 children were forced to give birth.

The 4th International Health Sciences Research Days Congress of Istanbul Beykent University was held.

Addressing the topic of 'Child Neglect and Abuse' at the congress, Forensic Medicine Specialist Prof. Dr. Mehmet Şevki Sözen stated that child neglect and abuse remains a current issue in Turkey, as it is in every society.

Emphasizing that while the number of child abuse cases may appear to be increasing, it is actually due to increased awareness, Prof. Dr. Sözen said, “Child abuse is a medical diagnosis. Therefore, after we make this medical diagnosis, more realistic numbers emerge. For this reason, the increase in the numbers is becoming clearer.”

DREW ATTENTION TO PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL ABUSE

Stating that child abuse is not one-dimensional, Prof. Dr. Sözen said, “There is physical and sexual abuse, economic abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect. In fact, you see all of these intertwined. That is, if a child is subjected to physical abuse, that child is also being subjected to neglect and emotional abuse. Furthermore, the rate of a child who has been subjected to physical and emotional abuse and neglect being subjected to sexual abuse is 3-7 times higher than other children with such a history of abuse.”

"DO NOT BLAME THE CHILD"

Prof. Dr. Sözen gave various warnings to parents so they can protect their children from abuse. Emphasizing that they should teach children to say 'no', Prof. Dr. Sözen continued his words as follows:

“We have to teach them that their own bodies are special and that no one can make any decisions regarding their own bodies. Please do not blame the child when your children tell you that 'there is a person who performed an act on their own bodies that they did not want' and that they were subjected to such an act. Do not pressure them or use sentences like 'who is the person who did this, tell me right away so I can show them a thing or two.' Listen to the child calmly without frightening them. Because your child can only express the event to you clearly and meaningfully in a safe environment and when they are sure that nothing will happen to you.”

ABUSERS ARE CLOSE TO THE CHILDREN!

Stating that abusers usually come from the children's closest circle, Istanbul Beykent University Faculty Member Prof. Dr. Sözen said, “They start small in the acts they commit against children. First, they also try to gain the child's trust. Since they do not know whether the child will remain silent or scream, or what kind of reaction they will show, they first perform a small act. When the child catches this behavior right at the beginning and realizes that this is abuse, or even if they cannot name it, realizes that it is a behavior they do not want on their own body, and comes to the family and tells them, then you can support them. But if you react very strongly when your child tells you about this event, your child will be afraid of the second bad behavior and will not tell you about that behavior. This will play into the abuser's hands,” he said.

HOW CAN FAMILIES UNDERSTAND?

Prof. Dr. Sözen continued his words as follows:

“Childhood is an age that shows very variable characteristics. Especially in children who have reached adolescence, serious behavioral changes occur in children with the involvement of hormones. It is necessary to look carefully at whether these behavioral changes are truly compatible with the child's age, whether they are mixed with the characteristics of the adolescence period, or whether there are different symptoms occurring in the child due to abuse. Families should observe and know their children well. They should know who they are friends with. Especially social media has become quite widespread in recent times. Therefore, families can also check whether their children are being abused from here by having some knowledge about social media. There are serious behavioral changes in an abused child. First of all, the life order we accept as normal is disrupted. Symptoms of insomnia appear. Behavioral changes occur. They become more withdrawn, do not want to talk to anyone. They do not want to go to school. There may be crying fits. They may behave distrustfully towards the environment. Or the child shows development far beyond their age. They become much more knowledgeable about sexual matters. Perhaps they themselves start to engage in some unpleasant behaviors towards their friends. These can be physical, sexually explicit behaviors. Families should examine these behaviors. However, they should not make the diagnosis themselves. When a question mark arises in their minds, they should definitely consult a professional. Because when families conduct this interview on their own, the questions they ask the child during the interview can mislead the child. In such a case, when children are brought to us physicians, we encounter serious misinformation.”

“TRY TO GAIN THE CHILD'S TRUST"

Explaining how they examine children, Prof. Dr. Sözen said, “First of all, it is necessary to gain the child's trust. The process of gaining trust varies according to the dimension of the trauma the child has experienced. It is necessary to avoid leading questions to the child. We ensure that they share what they have experienced with us themselves. We never, ever make promises to the child like 'share this information with me, I will never tell anyone.' Because we will share that information, we will report it. Then, we will share this report for legal sanctions at the legal stage. Therefore, we do not make such promises to the child. But we give this assurance; 'the person who did this to you has definitely committed a crime and there is definitely a punishment for this, they will receive their punishment. That is why we are having this interview with you,'” he said.

ATTENTION PARENTS ON SOCIAL MEDIA!

Stating that some families have recently been sharing their children frequently on social media to make money, and that this is not right and that children are being subjected to economic abuse, Prof. Dr. Sözen finally said the following:

“There is a lot of abuse in this situation. Your child is still very young and all rights belong to you. If you are presenting the child in a very serious dimension on a certain platform; in a way that everyone can see, under appropriate conditions, then you are also opening the door to many ill-intentioned people. Therefore, unfortunately, we can see many different dimensions of abuse related to the exhibition of the child on social media. You can share a happy family photo. There is no problem with that. The mother is next to them, the father is next to them. But beyond that, for example, I do not find it very appropriate to make posts that constantly show your child's development.”

News Source: İHA