After social media outrage, ministry puts two children sexually abused by parents under state protection

The Turkish Family and Social Services Ministry has placed two children under state protection after they were sexually and physically abused by their parents in what came to be known as the Elmalı lawsuit. The move came after Turkish social media earlier this week erupted with anger at the release of parents from jail.

Friday July 02 2021 12:10 am

A demonstrator holds a banner reading 'Do not stay silent to child abuse' during a protest.

Duvar English

The Turkish Family and Social Services has announced that a court has accepted its demand to put two children, who have been sexually abused by their parents in what came to be known as the Elmalı case, under state protection.

“We will provide a healthy and safe living space for our children in an establishment affiliated with our ministry,” a statement from the ministry said on Twitter.

Antalya Elmalı’da yargılama süreci devam eden istismar vakasında, mağdur iki çocuğumuz hakkında mahkemeye yaptığımız devlet korumasına alınma talebi kabul edilmiştir.

Çocuklarımıza, Bakanlığımıza bağlı bir kuruluşta sağlıklı ve güvenli bir yaşam alanı sağlayacağız.
— T.C. Aile ve Sosyal Hizmetler Bakanlığı (@tcailesosyal) July 1, 2021

The move came after Turkish social media users spoke out on June 29 against the release of mother Merve A. and stepfather Rahmi A. from jail despite accusations from their two children that the couple "sold" them for sex, as well as physically and sexually abused them.

The seven and 10-year-olds' haunting letter detailing the abuse was widely circulated on social media alongside drawings the kids made to describe the abuse they endured.

The mother Merve A. and the stepfather Rahmi A. were arrested in the first hearing on October 16, 2020, but were released pending conviction in the third hearing on Jan. 5 despite forensic examinations that confirmed the children were sexually abused.

The children's case created widespread protest among the public at the time of its revelation with the name Elmalı Lawsuit after the district of Mediterranean Antalya where the children lived