Turkish officials said that there are 1,464 unaccompanied children as the result of the earthquake. Children First Association will file a criminal complaint today regarding the allegations that kids are given to mafias.
The Turkish authorities made a statement regarding the situation of unaccompanied children who were affected by the two Maraş-centered earthquakes.
The statement said: "There are 1,464 unaccompanied children and 759 children under treatment. 79 children were taken into care after their treatment. 626 were handed over to their families after identity checks. We have 1,197 children whose identities have been identified and 267 who have not."
On the other hand, it is also claimed that unaccompanied children in the earthquake region were given to organ mafias.
Children and Women First Association announced that it will file a criminal complaint regarding the allegations. In a statement, the organization said: “We had many reports of missing children, but it has been revealed that the children pulled out of the rubble could not be returned to their families for various reasons. Now we see that children are handed over to people who introduce themselves as their families, even though they can’t say the day, place, apartment they were missing from. According to what was conveyed from the field, there are examples where our children who were rescued from the rubble were not notified to official institutions and recorded.”
We will protect our children
The statement added: “We will not allow the tragedy of our minors to be exploited by mafias or criminal organizations, nor will we allow them to be abused. Sects and congregations are a disaster for our children as big as an earthquake. But we will protect our children."
The association called for participation in the press conference they will hold after the criminal complaint they will make at the Antalya Courthouse today.
