Scandal in Turkey: Imam married his 6-year-old daughter to a 29-year-old who sexually abused her

Unthinkable story of abuse of a minor came to light in Turkey, becoming a huge scandal.

According to the Turkish newspaper “Bir Gun”, a 24-year-old woman complained that her imam father he married her with a 29-year-old man when she was only six years old and who even sexually abused her daily.

The woman, although she filed a lawsuit in 2020, lived the nightmare at the hands of the man for years. As he complained, in 2012 and at age 14 years oldher mother, Fatma Gümüşel, carried her at the hospital due to irregularities in her menstruation.

The mother and the 14-year-old, in order not to arouse suspicion, told the doctor that he was 17 years old and he had marry on her own initiative. But he realized that the girl had been sexually abused and reported the incident to the police.

She was being sent to her abusive husband’s house secretly by her mother

According to “Bir Gun”, the girl testified that when she lived in Cegelkioi, a suburb of Istanbul, her imam father married her to his 29-year-old student – he was in the “Ismailağa” sect – and his neighbor, Kadir Istekli.

A day later, he sent her to Qadir’s house and since then the sexual abuse began. He was telling the little girl that “it was a game.”

Years later, the girl said in her statement:

“I cried. Qadir said we are married like my mom and dad were married. He said, “You are my wife, I am your husband.” He said: “Married people play such gamesbut this game no one is told“. My mom and dad called Qadir ‘my son-in-law’.”

According to the allegations, her mother initially objected. The father is accused of sending his daughter to the apartment of 29-year-old Kadir Istekli when his wife was not at home, where she repeatedly experienced sexual abuse.

When did he start to understand that “it’s not a game”

The 24-year-old became first time mother when she was 17 years old. One day he heard a radio show about the young girls getting married. Then he realized that what he had experienced was no game and that she had been sexually abused throughout her childhood.

Nevertheless, she submitted to her family and sect. When he turned 18, he officially married. She recounted her experiences to a woman she met on social media from an account she used secretly. The woman told her to record the conversation her with her husband and file a complaint.

She followed the tip, recorded the conversation, and submitted it to the court, in which Kadir said that “we got married when you were 6 years old and I was in a hurry. I approved the marriage so that the fight would not escalate.”

In their statements, husband, father and mother claimed that the little girl engaged at age 16; and married at age 17 and not at the age of 6, while he had not been sexually abused.

Ten years after the first complaintin 2022, the prosecution’s indictment acquitted the abused girl, stating that there had been sexual abuse and that the crime of sexually abusing the girl has been committed repeatedly.

Turkey: Huge political reactions

At the same time, the reaction of political parties of Turkey. The representative of the ruling AKP party, Omer Celik, reacted to the despicable event and stressed that they are closely monitoring the developments.

“Child abuse is a damnable crime that will never be forgivenhe said, while the leaders of the opposition also reacted.

The leader of the Republican People’s Party CHP, Kemal Kilicdaroglusaid that those who sexually abused the six-year-old child will get what they deserve, while Good Party leader IYI, Meral Aksenerspoke of moral decay and warned that they will not allow this incident to be swept under the carpet.

For his part, the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglou, emphasized: “I can’t understand how a 6 year old girl’s marriage can be real. This is unscrupulous, this is immoral, this is child abuse. Anyone who compromises on this matter, anyone who turns a blind eye, any structure, is complicit in this crime. How many incidents are these, how many times is this ignored, ENOUGH!».