Declassified documents reveal trafficking of very young girls linked to the US businessman who died in prison in 2019. Prosecutors are examining "millions" of documents, while politicians and lawmakers are calling for the urgent establishment of a parliamentary commission. But the Disinformation Combat Centre (established by the ruling AKP) disputes the figure of over 100,000 missing children.

Ankara (AsiaNews) – The scandal surrounding the Epstein files has now reached to Turkey, over possible child trafficking from the Bosphorus to the island where the US businessman, who committed suicide in prison in 2019, allegedly exploited and abused them, turning them into sex slaves.

The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office opened an investigation into reports of young people, including children, being forcibly transferred, as revealed by a document released by the US Department of Justice in recent weeks.

The document, part of a series of indictments declassified by the US government into Jeffrey Epstein's illegal activities, are said to contain allegations that the businessman transported underage girls from many countries, including Turkey.

According to DW Türkçe, Turkish prosecutors are examining millions of new documents relating to convicted sex offender and trafficker Jeffrey Epstein as part of a broader investigation into allegations of child trafficking in Turkey.

A direct connection reportedly existed between the Eurasian nation and the place that became notorious for the abuse and violence committed by Epstein himself and his numerous guests, most of whom members of Western political, economic, aristocratic, and cultural elites.

The investigation was launched on 23 December following a social media post by Turhan Çömez, a member of parliament for the opposition Good Party (İYİ), citing documents released by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) in December.

“These documents state that young girls from Turkey were taken to the island of abuse," Çömez wrote. “It was also noted that the children had difficulties because they did not speak English. It is, in a single word, a terrible crime against humanity.”

Citing judicial sources, DW Türkçe added that prosecutors are currently examining approximately three million documents for evidence linking suspects to possible crimes committed in the country.

The document in question is a criminal complaint dated May 2009, filed by a plaintiff who claimed to have been abused by Epstein when she was a minor.

The woman, whose name is being withheld to protect her identity and only identified as "Jane Doe No. 102”, accuses Epstein of transporting underage girls as part of a global trafficking ring.

“Upon information and belief, Defendant transported minor girls from Turkey, the Czech Republic, Asia, and numerous other countries,” the exception being “African-Americans.”

“We propose the urgent establishment of a parliamentary commission to investigate whether there are any Turkish children who were victims in the Epstein case, and if so, their fate, rehabilitation, and protection if they are alive and accessible," said Bugra Kavuncu, Good Party spokesperson. "These types of issues are a matter of humanity above all political calculations.”

Dogan Bekin, a member of parliament from the right-wing Yeniden Refah party, said he had submitted questions to both the Interior Ministry and the Ministry of Family and Social Services asking whether there were children “victimised by the Epstein criminal gang”.

The investigation, he said, should include “the necessary inspections in schools and orphanages to identify these children”.

In calling for an investigation, the right-wing leader also cited data from the Turkish Statistical Institute, according to which 104,531 missing children were officially reported in Turkey between 2008 and 2016, most of them girls.

"The [Epstein] documents revealed and the allegations made clearly demonstrate the need for careful examination in terms of local and international investigations," said Bekin, who wonders whether Epstein had contacted "any politicians, administrators, or high-ranking officials in state institutions in Turkey".

The issue of trafficked minors on the US fixer's island is currently escalating and taking on political connotations, particularly regarding the numbers of children missing in the country.

This conflict has prompted the intervention of the Disinformation Combat Centre (DMM),[*] which, in a statement, rejected claims that "more than 10,000 children disappear in Turkey every year" and that the data from the Turkish Statistics Office (TÜİK) have been “distorted”.

The DMM said that no "official statistics" exist on missing or unaccounted for children.

Given the source, this appears to be an attempt by the Turkish government to deflect suspicions or accusations of at least ignoring child trafficking in the country, which represents a much broader issue than the Epstein affair alone.

The DMM, in fact, was created in 2022 at the initiative of the Justice and Development Party (AKLP), President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's long-ruling party, to "counter false information."

In fact, according to journalists and critics, rather than addressing disinformation, the centre has worked to suppress factual information and news critical of the country’s leadership.

For its part, the DMM has dismissed reports that “more than 10,000 children go missing every year in Turkey, and nearly 100,000 in the last 8 years," adding that the statistics office's data are presented “out of context.” The latter, the DMM states, only concern children who were officially reported missing and subsequently found.

The centre’s statement notes that there are no official statistics published by public institutions under the title “number of missing and unaccounted children.”

This attempt to distance itself has been, however, insufficient to quell the controversy and – more importantly – truly clarify the missing children data.

Experts and NGOs have repeatedly criticised the government’s lack of transparency and preventative policies, calling for the publication of information on missing children.

“If they do have data but are keeping it secret, that would mean that they do not want to be held accountable. Or they want to prevent people from knowing how serious the situation is. Or the children just don't matter to them,” said Ezgi Koman of FISA[†] Children Rights Center.

According to the 2025 Trafficking in Persons Report by the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons of the US State Department, Turkey “does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking,” but has made “significant efforts to do so” in the last year and shown a great commitment.

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[*] Dezenformasyonla Mücadele Merkezi.

[†] Fikir ve Sanat Atölyesi Derneği (Association of Ideas and Art Workshops).

• turkey
• united states
• epstein files
• missing children