BE ASHAMED OF WHAT YOU DID TO OUR CHILDREN!!!

BE ASHAMED OF WHAT YOU DID TO OUR CHILDREN!!!

As it is widely known, recently we learnt by means of a female social workers, who could be voice for children, that between January 1st and 9th May 2017, 115 pregnant children 35 of which under 15 years old applied to Kanuni Sultan Süleyman Education and Research Hospital in Küçükçekmece District in Istanbul.

After a while the issue came to the fore, we found out that an official investigation had been opened for this hospital personnel who made us to be informed about the incident and who filed a report to prosecution. On the other hand Istanbul Governorship did not allow an investigation to be opened about personnel who were guilty of misdeed. Furthermore, we listened in shame what Istanbul Governor said, “Pregnancy under 15 years old, it is compulsory to inform authorized bodies. Pregnancy over 15 years old and under 18 years old, in case there is force, violence and other kinds of pressures it is compulsory to inform yet other cases are dependent on complaint. The decision we gave is an administrative decision…”

During this period, while the Ministry of Family and Social Policies keep its silence the Ministry of Health made a written statement after news was disseminated. In this statement the Ministry said that the issue had been examined before and there was no need for opening investigation. As a result of reactions, office of the chief prosecutor mentioned that an investigation has been started.    

Sexist discourse on women developed by political Islam has continued to make a destructive effect on children. Within in the last three months of 2017, 20 children were killed; hundreds of them were subjected to violence and rape in dormitories, in schools, at their home and in the streets. Prosecutors, governors, ministers, parliamentarians who “work in the name of public” not only have stayed silent but also have normalized what has happened within this course of time.

While neoliberal system all over the world tries to overcome its depression through wars, chaos, poverty and fascist governments to manage all of them, has started to design society beginning from women and children. Systematically religious, reactionary pressures of capitalist patriarchy on women and children, by maintaining its order, has come into being in society as child abuses, violence and rape against women, isolation in home/family and/or cheap labor.

In this last incident what we witnessed that state with its all apparatuses ignores child abuse and punishes people who would like to prevent children from this abuse.

We, as women in TMMOB, repeat once again that we will take a stand against political power whenever it legitimizes attacks towards women or children no matter we are in State of Emergency or not.  

TMMOB Women’s Working Group