Teenager sexually assaulted by Afghan man dies in Turkey

A teenager sexually assaulted by an Afghan man has succumbed to her injuries and died at a hospital in Turkey's northwest.

Monday November 22 2021 10:35 am

Ayşegül Aydın is seen with her father in the picture on the left. The perpetrator is seen on the right.

Duvar English

A 16-year-old teenager who was sexually assaulted by a 20-year-old Afghan man has died at a hospital where she had been receiving treatment, Demirören News Agency reported on Nov. 22.

Ayşegül Aydın was sexually assaulted and beaten by an Afghan man, identified only as A.M., in the northwestern province of Kocaeli and was taken to a hospital on July 12.

While A.M. was arrested as part of the ongoing investigation, Aydın had been receiving treatment in the intensive care unit of a hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries on Nov. 22.

Aydın's name became a trending topic on Twitter, with social media users calling for an end to femicides, which have been plaguing Turkey.

The number of violence against women and femicides in the country has been on a steep increase in recent years, mostly due to the policies of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) that protect men. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan went as far as to withdraw Turkey from the Istanbul Convention, an international treaty that aims to protect women against violence, back in March.

In many cases, reports after the murders reveal that women sought help from authorities, but were ignored. Although the perpetrators are often detained, they are either released or get minor prison terms.

So far, over 300 women were murdered in 2021, according to statistics shared by the We Will Stop Femicides Platform.

Following Aydın's death on Nov. 22, Twitter accounts that have been sharing anti-refugee posts were seen to be slamming the government for allowing refugees into the country.