By ISSF Admin (@mujifren)
The Mediterranean sun that bathes the beaches of Antalya is sold to the world as a symbol of warmth and hospitality. For millions, it is paradise.
But for a group of Ukrainian orphans who fled the horrors of Russian bombardment only to land in the predatory grip of their supposed protectors, that sun has cast a long, chilling shadow.
In what is rapidly emerging as a catastrophic moral failure for the Turkish state, recent investigative reports have shattered the illusion of safety for war victims.
The details, brought to light by a coalition of Turkish and Ukrainian journalists, are not just disturbing; they are a damning indictment of a system that promised sanctuary and delivered a nightmare.
The Sanctuary That Became a Trap
The tragedy centers on the “Childhood Without War” project, an initiative run by the Ukrainian Shostak Foundation. On paper, it was a noble endeavor: evacuating hundreds of orphans and children deprived of parental care from the frontlines of Ukraine to the safety of Turkey. Since 2022, approximately 510 children were housed in hotels in Antalya, far from the air raid sirens of Kyiv and Kharkiv.
However, a joint investigation by the Turkey-based Agos newspaper and the Ukrainian investigative agency Slidstvo.Info—summarized comprehensively by the independent news network Bianet — reveals that this sanctuary was a hollow façade. Instead of healing, vulnerable children were allegedly subjected to systematic neglect and sexual abuse.
The most harrowing allegations concern two underage Ukrainian girls who reportedly became pregnant after being sexually abused by hotel staff. Reports identify the alleged perpetrators as kitchen workers, aged 21 and 23. These were not chance encounters; they were egregious violations of minors under state protection.
According to the investigation, the girls gave birth in secrecy, without the support of social services that should have been their first line of defense.
A Conspiracy of Silence and “Neutralization”
What transforms this tragedy from a crime into a “national shame” is the subsequent cover-up. The abuse did not go unnoticed; it was documented. An official inspection in March 2024 by Ukrainian officials, UNICEF, and Turkey’s own Ombudsman Institution reportedly found 253 children living in varying states of neglect.
Yet, despite these findings, the wheels of justice did not turn — they were removed entirely.
Prosecutors in both Turkey and Ukraine have reportedly closed their investigations without issuing a single indictment. In Turkey, the Antalya Provincial Family and Social Services Directorate filed a criminal complaint, yet the prosecutor’s office issued a decision of non-prosecution.
Even more disturbing is the alleged reaction of the organizers. According to documents obtained by the Institute of Mass Information (IMI), the foundation allegedly devised a “neutralization plan” to combat the negative press.
Rather than addressing the abuse, the plan reportedly involved using “bot farms” to leave positive comments and discredit the journalists exposing these crimes.
Exploitation as Spectacle
The indignity did not end with sexual abuse. The investigation by Slidstvo.Info further revealed that the children were treated as props. They were reportedly forced to perform — reciting poetry, singing, and dancing — at fundraising events to solicit donations. Those who complied were rewarded with food and clothing; those who refused were punished and excluded from recreational activities.
They were refugees, but they were treated like commodities.
The State’s Abdication
Turkey has long prided itself on its humanitarian efforts. But the “Childhood Without War” scandal exposes a gaping hole in the country’s protective net.
Dr. Selmin Cansu Demir, a child rights lawyer quoted in the reports, noted that Turkey’s obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child are absolute. Every child within its borders falls under its protection.
By allowing these investigations to wither and by failing to prosecute the alleged abusers, the Turkish judicial system has sent a terrifying message: the bodies of refugee children are fair game, and the perpetrators are immune.
Conclusion
The “Childhood Without War” project was quietly terminated in December 2024, and the children were returned to Ukraine. But they did not return whole. They carried with them new traumas inflicted not by Russian artillery, but by the indifference of their hosts.
This is not just a legal failure; it is a stain on the national conscience. Until the files are reopened, the perpetrators prosecuted, and the officials who looked the other way held accountable, the cries of those children in Antalya will echo as a lasting testament to Turkey’s national shame.
References & Investigative Sources
- Bianet: Ukrainian children displaced by war allegedly abused in Turkey
- Slidstvo.Info: Children were beaten with phone chargers, restricted in food…
- Institute of Mass Information (IMI): Shostak Foundation emails investigation neutralisation plan to Slidstvo.Info
