Where is 13-year-old Serkan Artun, who went missing from a ministry-run children's home?

There has been no news for days regarding 13-year-old Serkan, the son of Elif Ceren Arslan—who was murdered by a man she had rejected in the Selçuklu district of Konya—after he was placed in a Children's Love Home (Sevgi Evi) under the Ministry of Family and Social Services. The 'Children and Women First Association' (Önce Çocuklar ve Kadınlar Derneği) issued a statement on the matter, calling for Serkan to be found. Association President Müjde Tozbey spoke to 12punto about the details of the case.

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Where is 13-year-old Serkan Artun, who went missing from a ministry-run children's home?

Hazal Güven - 12punto.com.tr

It has been learned that 13-year-old Serkan, one of the children of Elif Ceren Arslan—who was murdered by a man she had rejected in the Selçuklu district of Konya—has gone missing. There has been no news of Serkan Artun, who was placed in a Children's Love Home under the Ministry of Family and Social Services, since last Friday.

The Children and Women First Association, which represents the murdered mother Elif Ceren Arslan, has been calling for days for the missing Serkan to be found. Association President Attorney Müjde Tozbey answered 12punto's questions regarding the matter...

How did you receive the information that Serkan Artun had gone missing?

We are the lawyers for Serkan's mother, Elif Ceren Arslan. Elif Ceren was murdered by a man she had rejected. For this reason, we are closely following Serkan's story. We first received the information about his disappearance from Serkan's grandmother. The grandmother had been informed of this by the police. Afterward, Elif Ceren's relatives notified us of the situation, and we immediately intervened in the process.

What response did you receive when you asked the authorized bodies/individuals about this situation? Besides the management of the Children's Love Home where the incident occurred, has the Ministry of Family and Social Services been reached?

In a statement made by the Ministry of Family and Social Services, it was confirmed that Serkan had gone missing. However, the statement used language that indirectly placed the responsibility for the incident on Serkan. It states, "A missing person report was filed immediately after it was determined that the child did not return to the facility after school." These expressions seem like an effort to ignore the negligence of the Children's Love Home management. It is stated that communication was established with the Juvenile Branch Directorate, but no tangible information regarding where Serkan is has been shared during this process.

Our attempts to communicate directly with the management of the Children's Love Home where the incident occurred are ongoing. It is unacceptable for Serkan to go missing in this manner from an institution where he should be under protection. This is not just negligence; it is a situation that threatens Serkan's right to life. If Serkan is not found by Monday, we, as the Children and Women First Association, will go to Konya on Monday. We will meet with officials and try to raise public awareness in the city.

Do you have any other details regarding the incident? Such as the last place he was seen, or any dialogue he had with friends or officials at the institution?

We do not have clear information at the moment. Official statements regarding the last place Serkan was seen or the dialogues he had with his friends or institution officials are quite insufficient. We are continuing our contacts with both the Children's Love Home management and other officials to clarify this information. The Ministry's statement seems to be trying to gloss over the process in a superficial way rather than emphasizing the seriousness of the incident.

Questions such as how his disappearance was not noticed within a day and why there was no early intervention need to be answered. It is essential that institutions responsible for ensuring the safety of children be held accountable during this process.

What would you like to say as a final word?

Serkan is a child without a mother who went missing from an institution where he should have been under protection. We never accept the responsibility being shifted to the child when a child goes missing. We reiterate our call to the authorities for Serkan to be found safely: Those who were negligent in this incident must be identified, and the steps to be taken for Serkan's safety and future must be carried out transparently.

I would like to state once again that this situation is not just Serkan's story. It is a snapshot of a system where children are not safe. We will continue our struggle in this process for Serkan and for all children like him. Finding Serkan as soon as possible is our greatest priority.

News Source: 12punto