Turkey's police have arrested a man, who inappropriately touched his daughter and sexually abused her in a TikTok video. The man has been identified as Hasan Tunçlar by Turkish media, who is seen sexually assaulting his daughter in front of the camera. The girl, shown in the clip that emerged on Monday, was taken into protective custody by social services, the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Policies announced on Tuesday.
The video, which was shared on social media on Monday, has since gone viral. According to local media, police have launched an investigation and the Tunclar could face years in prison if proven guilty.
Father or Predator?
The short clip shows Tunclar slipping his hand down his 15-year-old daughter's front while praising her beauty as the two sat on the family couch looking into the camera. "Praise be to God, she is as sweet as cream," Tunçlar says in the clip, while disturbingly elaborating on her features.
Tunclar then uploaded the video on social media platform TikTok. The girl is seen in the video remaining unmoved but seems to be extremely uncomfortable and embarrassed. However, she doesn't utter a word fearing further assault.
The video immediately went viral but drew criticism from all corners, following which Tunclar was arrested. The Turkish ministry said in a statement that its local branch in the western province of Izmir immediately took action after the video containing "inappropriate comments and gestures" was broadcast on TikTok.
"The child is under protection and we will pursue the legal process regarding the incident," the statement read. Her father was in detention as of Tuesday and would be taken to court for further legal action. The ministry also said that it would be a plaintiff in a lawsuit against the father.
TikTok Draws Flak
TikTok has time and again been criticized for failing to moderate its content. Turkey particularly has time and again been shaken by videos posts on TikTok displaying acts of physical or sexual violence against girls and women which are often committed by their own family members.
On Tuesday, Samir Balakishiyev, a man who threatened a woman in a TikTok video, was jailed for one year and three months in Istanbul. Balakishiyev was heard uttering "you will end up like Özgecan Aslan, I will find and burn you," to a woman making a negative comment about one of his videos, referring to the female victim of a gory murder in Turkey in 2015.
The Turkish government passed new legislation in January, wherein all the social media companies are required to appoint a formal representative in Turkey. "Our hope is that other social network providers will also report their representatives and fulfill their obligations," Deputy Transport and Infrastructure Minister Omer Fatih Sayan said.
Pakistan too recently banned the TikTok app for spreading vulgar content while critics say the app, which popularizes "challenges," overly sexualizes minors and promotes violence.
