Ailenin Karanlık Yüzü: Türkiye'de Ensest - Sosyoloji Derneği

ABSTRACT
This paper is based on a qualitative research entitled “Understanding the Problem of
Incest in Turkey” (2009) and conducted in Adana, Ankara, Diyarbakır, Erzurum, İstanbul, and
Kocaeli by semi-structured interviews with 98 professionals from different disciplines
working for institutions that might be approached by incest survivors. Experts describe incest
an iceberg of which only a small portion is visible. Incest victims may be girls and boys of all
ages. The abuse in incest usually begins with acts of molestation involving touching and
fondling. Some cases continue with such acts for a long time, while others involve escalating
molestation that might end in anal and vaginal rape. Perpetrators usually male figures of
authority generally fathers followed by grandfathers, brothers, uncles and other older-age
male relatives. Incest offenders have no typical socio-economic background. The findings
indicate that incest might take place in all forms of family structures. The main obstacles in
revealing incest are child's inability to word abuse, offenders physical and emotional threats,
social pressures, and society's and institutions' tendency to protect family rather than
individuals.
Keywords: Incest, child abuse, sexual abuse, domestic violence, multidisciplinary
approach, qualitative research
Sosyoloji Araştırmaları Dergisi / Journal of Sociological Research - 2010 / 1 2