Exposed by a social media post: Prison sentences for mother and father in İzmir child abuse case

In İzmir, a stepfather was sentenced to a total of 70 years and 3 months in prison, and the mother to 41 years, following a trial regarding the abuse of their own daughter, which was exposed through a social media post.

In 2015, an individual in İzmir who saw social media posts regarding a 12-year-old girl at the time reported the matter to the Provincial Security Directorate's Child Protection Branch, alleging that the child was being abused under the guise of being a "model."

Acting on the tip, police reached the child and her family living in the Bornova district. Teams interviewed the child. It was determined that the child had been abused, forced to have inappropriate photographs taken, made to work as a model, and forced into sexual intercourse.

An indictment was prepared against the mother, the stepfather, and a model agency official who used the child's photographs, on charges of "using children in the production of obscene publications," "deprivation of liberty," "qualified sexual abuse of a child," and "encouraging, forcing, or mediating the prostitution of children."

As a result of the trial held at the İzmir 12th High Criminal Court, on November 29, the detained defendant stepfather H.E. was sentenced to 38 years and 3 months for "sexual abuse of a child," 12 years for "encouraging a child into prostitution," 12 years for "deprivation of liberty using force and threats," and 8 years for "obscenity."

The defendant mother H.E., for whom an arrest warrant had been issued, was sentenced to a total of 41 years in prison, consisting of 18 years for "encouraging a child into prostitution," 15 years for "deprivation of liberty using force and threats," and 8 years for "obscenity."

It was stated that the guilt of H.İ., who shared the child's obscene images on social media, could not be proven, and he was acquitted, while the case against model agency official A.S.S.E. was dropped due to their death.