‘Numbers left in the dark need to be visible to understand the dimension of child abuse’

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Click to read the article in Turkish

Assoc. Prof. Neylan Ziyalar is an academic from the Forensic Medicine Institute of İstanbul University. She has recently published a book entitled "Child Abuse and Forensic Interview with the Child." 

Speaking to bianet about her new book, which is only in Turkish for the time being, Ziyalar notes that "child abuse is not an issue that can be overcome solely by the good will, compassion and care of an ordinary person." 

Stressing the importance of preventing the child from being hurt for the second time in a forensic interview, the book will be a guide in that regard.

'Child should not be hurt for the second time'

"Child abuse is a serious crime. The most appropriate attitude to be taken by a person who is aware of such an incident must be to appeal to an expert immediately and to inform the official authorities, rather than trying to help on one's own," Ziyalar says and underlines:

"The statement of a child taken by a person who is not an expert, repetitive questionings and leading questions are among the most frequently encountered mistakes during a forensic interview with the child."

The book of Ziyalar gives information about a series of subjects such as definitions and concepts about childhood, the stages of development of a child, child abuse and different dimensions of neglect. In that sense, the book will be a source for all workers of juvenile justice system, primarily for legists, psychologists, psychological counselor and social service specialists.

Ziyalar underlines that the book was also prepared with BA and MA students in mind. Within this context, the book features the basic principles of forensic interview with the child, its systematics and specifics, the points to consider in practice and the analysis of the child's statements.

'Society-based preventive works'

Noting that child abuse is a burning issue on the agenda of not only Turkey, but the whole world, Ziyalar says:

"I am of the opinion that the only way to drop child abuse off the agenda is to engage in society-based preventive works so that a general awareness can be created among the public."

'Numbers left in the dark need to be made visible'

Neylan Ziyalar concludes her remarks as follows:

"While it is a fact that incidents of child abuse are being reported to official authorities and registered in criminal records more and more in the recent years, it does not necessarily mean that it did not happen before.

"The only way to understand the changes in the frequency of child abuse cases over the years is to repeat the same standard measurement methods every year and to ensure that the numbers that are not reported to official authorities and, thus, left in the dark, are made visible." (AÖ/SD)