The Legal Aid Bureau Against Sexual Harassment And Rape In Detention has announced the data regarding the applications between January and November. In 2008, 35 women applied to the bureau.

According to lawyer Eren Keskin and lawyer Fatma Karakaş, five of the applicants were the transvestite and transsexuals who claimed police harassment. Two women were taken into custody and subjected to violence; one woman was subjected to violence since she was already a “sex worker.”

According to the information supplied by the bureau, there was no rape application in 2008, but there were sexual harassment complaints. Harassment was done by touching using one’s hand or other objects, threat of rape and verbally about woman’s sexuality.

The Medical Examiner’s Office continue to be a problem

Although it was not applied before 2008, article 227/8 of the Penal Code that says the person who is engaged in prostitution will be subjected to treatment and therapy was applied to the transvestites and transsexuals. In one case, the Criminal Court of First Instance of Beyoğlu, Istanbul demanded that the transvestites and transsexuals sent to the psychological therapy, but it was reversed when the lawyers objected to it.

The bureau says the problematic structure of the Medical Officer’s Office as an “official expert” in proving whether or not there was sexual torture continues. There is demand in the direction of making some legislative changes so that the reports by the independent doctors will be recognized as evidence, too.

The eleven year old bureau has received 294 applications so far. 71 of them have been rape applications. Two women committed suicide after raped. One woman was killed by torture. Fourteen year old girl was killed by her relatives after she was raped for the “honor” of the family.

The activists said the perpetrators were police officers, gendarmerie officers, soldiers, prison guardians, convicts, mayors and village guards.

The bureau says, “As can be seen in the statistics, the situation is very desperate. In fact, many women find it difficult to talk about the sexual torture. Therefore, these numbers may not be reflecting the whole picture. (EZÖ/TB)