Gülşen Koçuk/JINHA

AGIRÎ – After a trial, C.T., the father who sexually abused his 14-year-old mentally disabled daughter over a long period, has been arrested pending trial. The family fears that C.T., whose relatives have threatened his wife and children, will be released.

Relatives and family friends knew of the abuse, which had been going on since the girl was very young. The child and her mother finally made moves to press charges, but withdrew the claim.

"I was scared he would do something to us, to my daughter. I told both my family and my husband's family about it. But they hit me and told me to keep quiet. Everyone said that, really. It got so we couldn't leave the house," said the mother.

The father, who is a cleaning worker at the municipality of the small town in Agirî (Ağrı, in Turkish), was fired soon aftera local women's information center intervened to bring the abuse to light. He was arrested in December 2014.

The girl's mother has requested protection services due to the harassment and threats she and another of her four children have received, but the court has not responded.

(fk/cm)