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Over 1,500 children still missing in Turkey
The topic of missing children returned to Turkey’s agenda last week when two girls went missing in Bingöl. The cousins were found dead five days later.
Speaking at a press conference, the head of the directorate’s public order department, Özer Zeyrek, said 1,095 of the missing children are girls while 562 are boys, adding that about 700 of them are children who ran away from institutions run by the Social Services and Child Protection Agency (SHÇEK).
Zeyrek also said 1,462 of the missing children fall into the 13-18 age group while the rest are 12 years old or younger. A considerable number of missing girls in the 13-18 age group ran away due to a love affair, he claimed.
When asked if the figure is considered to be high, Zeyrek said no because the figures cover the past 10 years and include those who ran away from SHÇEK facilities as well as those who were later found by their families which then did not update officials about the situation.
Dismissing claims that they begin searching for missing children 24 hours after receiving notification, Zeyrek said a search begins as soon as officials are notified.
To make the tracking of missing children easier, an online database will be established after a protocol is signed by the State Ministry for Women and Family Affairs, Zeyrek said.
Kayseri kids still being sought
Three children from Kayseri went missing during the Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice) in late September of last year when they went out to collect candy. “We’ve been searching for the Kayseri children since eid. The Security General Directorate has formed special teams to look for them. The Kayseri Police Department, the Security General Directorate and police teams in other provinces are continuing their search efforts. All possibilities are being looked into,” he said, adding that news claiming the search for the children has stopped is incorrect.
A newborn baby was kidnapped from a hospital in Bitlis by a woman who introduced herself as the baby’s mother. Zeyrek said the baby is also being sought. “We have a description of woman as well as of the car she drove away in. Search efforts continue,” he added.
Upon a question from a reporter over concerns that children who went missing in Bitlis and Kayseri were kidnapped by an organ mafia, Zeyrek said they have no leads to that effect but have not ruled out the possibility.
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