Turkish schoolgirl ‘commits suicide after teacher’s assault’

A Turkish schoolgirl committed suicide after allegedly being sexually assaulted by one of her teachers, reports said Monday, raising new concerns about crimes against women in the country.

The 18-year-old, identified as Cansel Buse K., tried to take her own life last week by shooting herself in the head with the service weapon belonging to her father, a policeman, the Dogan news agency reported.

After finding her badly wounded in a pool of blood, the emergency services took her to hospital where she died.

Investigators believe her suicide was brought on after she was sexually abused by a married mathematics teacher at her school in the Melikgazi district of the Kayseri region in central Turkey, Dogan said.

The teacher was detained over the weekend and placed under arrest pending trial, and the school leadership has been suspended for negligence.

The case has caused huge resonance in Turkey with the hashtag #canselicinsusma -- “don’t stay quiet about Cansel” -- the top trending topic on Twitter nationally on Monday.

Kayseri governor Orhan Duzgun confirmed the teacher had been arrested following an examination of phone records and forensic tests.

The Hurriyet daily said the alleged assault took place two days before the girl’s suicide, with her family accusing the school of trying to cover-up the issue after she made a complaint.

The Turkish authorities acknowledge there is a grave problem of violence against women -- often involving wives killed by their husbands -- but activists say nowhere near enough action has been taken.

According to the Platform to Stop Violence Against Women, 289 women were murdered in Turkey in 2015 alone.