The heartbreaking story of a 14-year-old girl who fell into prostitution in Antalya
A heartbreaking incident that was brought to the agenda on SÖZCÜ TV’s Arena program revealed how little girls are being dragged into the quagmire of prostitution. The experiences of a 14-year-old girl revealed once again the extent of prostitution rings in Turkey.
Speaking on the program, Istanbul News Director Cem Özkeskin shared shocking details based on the testimony of the victim. The girl stated that she had been forced into sexual relations with hundreds of people over the course of a year, during which she contracted sexually transmitted diseases.
HUMAN TRAFFICKING UNDER THE GUISE OF AGENCIES
According to Özkeskin, the "1024" agency mentioned by the girl can easily be found online. These agencies market girls as catalog items, selling them to clients and taking a commission from the income generated.
TRANSPORTING TO DUBAI AND ARAB COUNTRIES
“They take girls through live-streaming apps and send them to Dubai or Arab countries. The victim's testimony proved that underage girls are also being used in this system,” noted Özkeskin, highlighting the scale of prostitution in Turkey.
HE WAS DISTRIBUTING THE GIRLS AND GETTING A COMMISSION
After that prostitution deal, the person named T.A., whom the girl mentioned in her statement, "He is taking me with him in his car," says to the girl: "Someone has come out for you. I will take you there, get ready in 5-10 minutes"... He picks up the girl from where she is staying, either to the hotel or to another specified address. And these are the names from whom he gets commission from after having the agencies distribute them.
STUCK IN ANTALYA AT THE AGE OF 14
What is more striking is that her sister, who is one and a half years younger than this girl, falls into prostitution before the girl. In other words, the girl starts prostitution at the age of 16. Her sister fell into the prostitution swamp in Antalya when she was 14 and a half.
LACKS IN THE INVESTIGATION
Despite the fact that the victim's statement and the gang's operations are so clear, the Istanbul Anatolian Chief Public Prosecutor's Office transferred the investigation it had started to Bursa with a decision of lack of jurisdiction. Özkeskin stated that this situation could weaken the investigation and said, "With the transfer of this file to Bursa, the investigation pyramid has been reversed".
THEY USE TECHNOLOGY
Özkeskin stated that this issue could be solved through technological methods. "The cyber team can identify people defined as clients the moment they enter the website. Once negotiations are allowed, the agencies can be detected," he said, urging authorities to take action.
"While an investigation of this scale is needed, the case was transferred to Bursa. But this issue can be eradicated. With the power of technology, just as these agencies work so systematically, they can be taken down in the same way. The key is that you want to eliminate this swamp," said Özkeskin, urging authorities to approach the issue with more sensitivity.
