ELÎH, NORTHERN KURDISTAN
Over the weekend, Turkish media outlets publicized the story of a 15-year-old from a village in Elîh, who was detected to be pregnant in a hospital she went to suffering abdominal pain. According to reports by the state-owned media outlets, the 15-year-old had been impregnated after being raped by two people. An investigation carried out by Jinnews News Agency revealed that the child had been raped by a total of 27 men, a list which includes the names of specialist sergeants, police and village guards. The child had been impregnated twice before.
The names of only 11 of the 27 rapists were documented in the investigation file with allegations of sexual abuse and prostitution.
Among the information obtained by the Jinnews was the allegation that the 15-year-old child, as well as two women from the same village, were forced into prostitution.
In the investigation carried out by Jinnews, the woman’s news agency interviewed several locals about the incident. The locals who preferred to remain anonymous for safety fears, claimed that the service driver of a textile workshop where the child and two women worked, introduced them to the specialist sergeants and police. The locals explained that various specialist sergeants and policemen frequently came to the workplace, taking women and children away from the workplace after work or during lunch breaks. The people explained that the situation had raised suspicion among them, and had been ongoing for 8 months. “One of the two women got pregnant 3 months ago and had a miscarriage,” a villager shared.
After photographs of the atrocity reached the village headman, he and the families went to the textile workshop, arguing with the owner of the workplace and attacking the service driver.
What is happening in Gercüş?
Citizens interviewed about the rape and prostitution expressed the following: “A café and grocery store belonging to a specialist sergeant are located right next to this textile workshop. The workshop has been open for about a year. The specialist sergeant’s café is being run by a person named MAG. He manages the café. The names of many policemen are also mentioned in the incident. There is a traffic police officer, and we heard that he also harassed women.
Before, MAG had a kiosk next to a school in the county, and then there were rumors that he harassed many children from the school. After this rumor spread, he closed his kiosk and took over the management of this specialist sergeant’s café. The specialist sergeant, the workshop driver, MAG and the owner of the workshop are involved in what happened. They introduce and sell women to specialist sergeants and so on. They are intermediaries, they get their share.
A 15-year-old child who got pregnant had a miscarriage twice before. They made her have miscarriages. This is her third pregnancy. Many people in the district know this situation, but when specialist sergeants are involved, everyone is afraid to talk. We know there are two women and a child being forces to do this, but there are definitely more women who are forced into prostitution. We just don’t see them.”
The Jinnews reporter investigating this incident was followed after entering the specialist sergeant’s café. The reporter was obstructed by the special operations police who asked: “Who are you, why are you here, what are you investigating, why did you come to the district?”
