"Protecting Children Should Become Common Place in Judiciary"

Upon an implementation of the Ministries for Health, Justice and the Interior, a special unit was established within the Ankara ZekaiTahir Burak Hospital for children that have been exposed to sexual harassment, rape and domestic violence. Prof. Dr. Ümit Biçer, Chairman of the Association of Forensic Medicine Specialists (ATUD), and Şebnem Korur Fincancı, Chairwomen of the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TİHV), evaluated the new setup for bianet.

Both Fincancı and Biçer remarked that the current implementations in Turkey in general fall short of expectations. They appreciated the latest implementation in a hospital affiliated with the Health Ministry as a positive development with a level close to international standards. At the same time, they mentioned the importance of a "holistic approach".

Fincancı indicated, "The units will be established in all university and state hospitals and will be available 24 hours. They should be designed in a way that victims of sexual violence are not mishandled. In fact, all state hospitals should install such a unit in order to meet the demand". Biçer emphasized, "It is very important to adopt a similar attitude in all implementations starting from the judiciary and up to the trial proceedings".

"A process that does not cover a holistic approach might even be objectionable"

"Regarding the current implementations, standards especially for units receiving children do not meet our expectations", Biçer criticizes and continues:

* It is objectionable to accept those children to court and have them examined. It should be made a standard to examine the children in a child-friendly way and in an environment suitable with their age.

* The children should not be examined more than once, the problem should be solved based on one single assessment.

* The diagnosis should not be the only aim of the examination. Taking into consideration the traumata the children experienced, the whole process of the child's diagnosis, assessment and treatment should be carried out together according to a suitable plan.

* Eventually, universities as most valuable sources in terms of forensic medicine and child psychiatry specialists should come together with units related to children to establish children's centres. A process that does not cover a holistic approach will not yield lasting solutions and thus might even be objectionable. (BB/VK)