It was claimed that a 14-year-old child with Down syndrome, autism and epilepsy was exposed to violence at the special education and rehabilitation center where he was studying in Elazığ. A judicial and administrative investigation was launched into the incident, for which the family filed a criminal complaint.
It was claimed that a 14-year-old child with Down syndrome, autism and epilepsy was exposed to violence at the special education and rehabilitation center where he was studying in Elazığ. Noticing the injuries and bruises on the child's body, father Mehmet Yalçın received an assault report from the hospital and filed a criminal complaint against the center officials. A judicial and administrative investigation was opened regarding the incident.
Father Mehmet Yalçın stated that the institution officials he met with after the incident said that the assault was committed by another student with special needs, but this explanation did not convince him. Yalçın stated that camera systems should be installed in the classrooms and corridors of private educational institutions.
Cansu Korkmaz, Board Member of the Turkish Down Syndrome Association, who came to Elazığ to support the family and intervene in the judicial process, said that they will follow the process.
Korkmaz stated that the family was informed by the institution on the day of the incident, and that the family filed a criminal complaint with the prosecutor's office upon sharing findings showing that the child had been beaten.
Reminding that Elazığ Governorship announced that they would launch an administrative investigation through the Provincial Directorate of National Education, Korkmaz said, "Although the allegation is that another student with special needs committed the assault, there is a serious negligence of the special education and rehabilitation center. As lawyers and the Turkish Down Syndrome Association, we are after the material truth and accuracy. If there were cameras in the classrooms of this rehabilitation center, we would be able to clearly see who committed this assault and this violence against our young man."
Emphasizing that the perpetrator of the incident can be clearly identified if there is a camera system in the classrooms, Korkmaz said that they believe that the prosecutor's office will conduct an effective and comprehensive investigation.
Stating that it is necessary to install cameras in special education classes, Korkmaz said:
"Unfortunately, these negligences are not the only ones and will never be the last. If a camera system is introduced into the classrooms in line with the decision made by the Council of State, especially if cameras are installed in special education classes and this is guaranteed by legislation, only then can we prevent these incidents. Here, we demand that the Ministry of National Education amend the legislation as soon as possible and bring this camera system into the classrooms. Our interlocutor on this issue is not the rehabilitation center, but the prosecutor's office. As an association, we will also intervene through the family."
Father Mehmet Yalçın stated that the incident did not only concern his son and said, "I believe that children with special needs, who cannot be heard in many parts of Türkiye, are exposed to similar events. My son and I want to start a fight on this issue and prevent other children from being harmed. He could have been more seriously injured or even lost his life."
Stating that he still has doubts about what happened, Yalçın said, "We do not think that this incident was a violence that could have happened within five minutes. There are findings that suggest that my son was exposed to violence for a longer period of time. We want to have an audio and video camera system in the classrooms and common areas. In this way, parents will be at ease and the real responsible people will be revealed in similar incidents."
In the statement of Elazığ Governorship on the subject, it was stated that "An administrative and judicial process has been initiated in order to shed light on all aspects of the incident. Provincial Directorate of National Education inspectors have been assigned and the incident is being examined meticulously."