Sex laws row between Turkey and Sweden leads to rape billboard
- 8 years ago
An electronic advertisement has gone on display inside Istanbul’s main airport warning against visiting Sweden as it has the highest rate of rape in the world.
“Travel warning! Do you know that Sweden has the highest rape rate worldwide?” reads the text.
It was put on display on Thursday next to a moving walkway in the departures section of Ataturk Airport’s international terminal.
Turkey’s state news agency Anadolou said a private company had paid for the advertisement.
Turkey warns travellers about high rape rate in Sweden https://t.co/Ztl1PbpFXq— The Independent (@Independent) August 19, 2016
Europe and Turkey
Ties between Ankara and Europe have worsened since last month’s failed coup.
Turkey has accused its Western allies of insensitivity, saying they were more concerned about a subsequent crackdown than the coup itself.
Sweden
On Monday, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters that Ankara had summoned Sweden’s ambassador to protest about comments from Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom.
Turkish decision to allow sex with children under 15 must be reversed. Children need more protection, not less, against violence, sex abuse.— Margot Wallström (@margotwallstrom) August 14, 2016
“The Turkish decision to allow sex with children under 15 must be reversed. Children need more protection, not less, against violence, sex abuse,” Wallstrom said on Twitter regarding Turkish legislation on the sexual abuse of children.
Wallstrom’s comments were in reference to a decision by Turkey’s constitutional court annulling a penal code provision punishing all sexual acts involving children under 15 as “sexual abuse” and asking parliament to draw up new legislation.
Cavusoglu said Wallstrom’s comments were a scandal and based on false rumours.
He dismissed them as “the result of racism and anti-Islam sentiment in Europe”.
Austria
On Sunday, Turkey summoned Austria’s charge d’affaires to protest about a headline on an electronic news ticker at Vienna airport.
“Turkey allows sex with children under the age of 15,” it allegedly read.
Austrian officials played the matter down as one of freedom of the press.
Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern has said the EU should end accession talks with Turkey.
This prompted Cavusoglu to refer to Austria as the “capital of radical racism”.
Rape in Sweden – Fact Check
In 2012, a report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (“Total Sexual Violence at the National Level, number of Police-Recorded Offences 2012) quoted Sweden as having 66.5 cases of reported rapes per 100,000 of the population.
This was based on official statistics reported by the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention
This is the highest number of reported rapes of any nation included in the UNODC report.
Experts say the high number can be explained by:
The comparatively broad definition of rape
The method by which the Swedish police record rapes
A high confidence in the criminal justice system
An effort by the government to encourage the reporting of rape
(Sources: Wikipedia (general information), UNODC (statistical detail)
“Travel warning! Do you know that Sweden has the highest rape rate worldwide?” reads the text.
It was put on display on Thursday next to a moving walkway in the departures section of Ataturk Airport’s international terminal.
Turkey’s state news agency Anadolou said a private company had paid for the advertisement.
Turkey warns travellers about high rape rate in Sweden https://t.co/Ztl1PbpFXq— The Independent (@Independent) August 19, 2016
Europe and Turkey
Ties between Ankara and Europe have worsened since last month’s failed coup.
Turkey has accused its Western allies of insensitivity, saying they were more concerned about a subsequent crackdown than the coup itself.
Sweden
On Monday, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters that Ankara had summoned Sweden’s ambassador to protest about comments from Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom.
Turkish decision to allow sex with children under 15 must be reversed. Children need more protection, not less, against violence, sex abuse.— Margot Wallström (@margotwallstrom) August 14, 2016
“The Turkish decision to allow sex with children under 15 must be reversed. Children need more protection, not less, against violence, sex abuse,” Wallstrom said on Twitter regarding Turkish legislation on the sexual abuse of children.
Wallstrom’s comments were in reference to a decision by Turkey’s constitutional court annulling a penal code provision punishing all sexual acts involving children under 15 as “sexual abuse” and asking parliament to draw up new legislation.
Cavusoglu said Wallstrom’s comments were a scandal and based on false rumours.
He dismissed them as “the result of racism and anti-Islam sentiment in Europe”.
Austria
On Sunday, Turkey summoned Austria’s charge d’affaires to protest about a headline on an electronic news ticker at Vienna airport.
“Turkey allows sex with children under the age of 15,” it allegedly read.
Austrian officials played the matter down as one of freedom of the press.
Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern has said the EU should end accession talks with Turkey.
This prompted Cavusoglu to refer to Austria as the “capital of radical racism”.
Rape in Sweden – Fact Check
In 2012, a report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (“Total Sexual Violence at the National Level, number of Police-Recorded Offences 2012) quoted Sweden as having 66.5 cases of reported rapes per 100,000 of the population.
This was based on official statistics reported by the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention
This is the highest number of reported rapes of any nation included in the UNODC report.
Experts say the high number can be explained by:
The comparatively broad definition of rape
The method by which the Swedish police record rapes
A high confidence in the criminal justice system
An effort by the government to encourage the reporting of rape
(Sources: Wikipedia (general information), UNODC (statistical detail)