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Serious allegations of sexual harassment against female interns at the Turkish Parliament have triggered political condemnation, public protests, and new calls for a full investigation.
Reports from multiple outlets this week revealed that vocational high school students working as interns in Parliament dining hall said they experienced verbal and physical harassment by members of the staff over several years.
A young woman who completed a short internship in Parliament last year also came forward. She said a cook in his 30s harassed her for two weeks. She shared her experience on social media and later spoke with T24, confirming that she left the institution with her family’s support.
Parliament’s General Secretariat acknowledged the allegations and said an internal investigation has begun. Officials stated that the process would include administrative and legal steps.
Parliament’s General Secretariat announced that it suspended a cook after the allegations surfaced.
A later statement said the institution dismissed one cook from civil service for “disgraceful and shameful acts,” ended the contracts of two others for “sexual harassment,” and issued disciplinary penalties to another cook and a sous chef for conduct that damaged trust in public service.
Political parties in Parliament reacted with a unified call for clarity.
The Ministry of Family and Social Services confirmed that it monitors the process and will take part in the legal proceedings when they begin.
The young woman said she began her internship in September last year and faced harassment from a cook three weeks later.
She reported both verbal and physical harassment. She said the man told her, “You smell very nice. I want to get close to you and smell you,” and asked whether she drank alcohol so they could go out together.
She tried to report the behavior to a female supervisor and said she made the complaint in front of two of her friends. According to her account, the supervisor replied, “You will not tell anyone, not even your parents.”
She said other employees noticed the man’s behavior. One colleague told her, “He was practically in your face.” She added that people around her knew what happened yet chose to remain silent. After one and a half months in Parliament, she informed her family and moved to another institution with the help of her parents and teachers.
Women’s organizations also monitor the developments. Canan Gullu, head of the Federation of Women’s Associations of Türkiye, told T24 that the case should not be treated as a political dispute.
She said activists have demanded stronger legal protections against abuse for years. “We saw how girl interns cannot trust any deputy or bureaucrat. It must not be covered up. The Parliament covering this up would be a disaster for the country,” she said.
Women’s groups and female MPs gathered in front of Parliament on Thursday to protest the allegations and demand accountability.
Police officers blocked them from making a press statement at the entrance but the group insisted on continuing and eventually pushed past the barricade to deliver their message.
In the statement read on behalf of the Ankara Women’s Platform, the speaker said the case revealed a long-standing pattern inside the institution.
She said the allegations showed how “state structures and male-dominated systems” work together to protect perpetrators. The group argued that institutions often conceal abuse instead of addressing it and said they rejected this pattern.
CHP leader Ozgur Ozel criticized the police response and said people should be able to voice their concerns in front of the Parliament. “We feel anger and shame,” he said.
He urged the institution to handle the investigation with strict measures and full transparency. “This issue must be investigated in a way that satisfies the public and prevents any recurrence,” he said.
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