Sexual abuse at a Süleymancı dormitory: Imam sentenced to 28 years in prison

An 11-year-old child was sexually abused by an imam at the Private Osmangazi Arifiye Secondary School Boys' Dormitory, which belongs to the Süleymancı community. In the verdict hearing held yesterday, the defendant was sentenced to 28 years in prison for aggravated sexual abuse.

According to Sol Haber; in a statement made by the Association for Children and Women First, it was stated: "When the family reported the incident, the sect first tried to pressure the family and attempted to have the file closed. They did not succeed. Although we are happy today, we know that as long as sects and communities are not shut down, children are not safe."

The Istanbul Governor's Office had suspended the dormitory manager and sealed the dormitory. However, it was revealed that despite the official closure of the dormitory, it was still operating and there were children staying there.

Speaking on behalf of the Women's Solidarity Committees (KDK) after the verdict hearing, Neriman Keske stated: “Since we determined on Monday that despite this dormitory being officially closed, there were still entries and exits and the doors were actively open, we submitted our petitions to the Directorate of National Education for the complete closure of the dormitory, as well as for the closure of another dormitory located right next to it, which is operated by the same sect with the same management staff and houses high school students.”

Stating that the person on trial is not the only one behind the crime, Keske added:

“The government, which claims that sects are non-governmental organizations and creates space for them to thrive, and the opposition, which has no quarrel with the system that condemns families and children to these dormitories, are also guilty. Therefore, we believe that the only power that can stand against this organized darkness is an organized public, and we call on all our citizens to be a part of this struggle.”

Lawyer Arzu Topuz, speaking on behalf of the Association for Women and Children First, stated that her clients were subjected to serial and aggravated sexual abuse throughout the first half of 2023. Topuz expressed that at every stage of the trial, the reactionary mindset that children are exposed to and forced into was laid bare.

The information provided by Topuz is as follows:

“The defendant was an employee who had been actively working in this dormitory for 4-5 years, involved in the care and supervision of the children, and staying at the dormitory at night. Neither when this defendant was hired nor during his time there were his actions and criminal record questioned in any way. It is also unknown who would perform such a check. The management staff are people who have never received any training on how to provide education. Since the beginning of the trial, we have been saying that the defendant is not the only culprit. The family of the abused child was subjected to pressure by the institution when they were about to report the abuse. This 28-year sentence is the achievement of an 11-year-old brave child who told her family what she experienced and ensured the crime was investigated, a mother and father who brought the legal process to this stage despite all the pressure and isolation, us who have followed this matter from the beginning and say 'we do not surrender children to this darkness,' and our friends who shoulder this struggle.”