Arrest of Turkish Charity Director Highlights Sexual Exploitation of Refugee Women

Mon Oct 27 2025 19:58:57 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Sadettin Karagoz, a Turkish charity owner, was arrested amid allegations of sexually exploiting vulnerable women seeking aid, bringing attention to abuses faced by refugees.

Sadettin Karagoz, founder of a charity for Syrian refugees in Turkey, has been arrested following allegations that he sexually abused vulnerable women seeking aid. The case, reported by BBC, reveals a troubling pattern of exploitation within refugee assistance programs. Victims have come forward with harrowing accounts of their experiences, highlighting the urgent need for protection and justice for those affected.

A Turkish charity owner at the centre of sexual abuse allegations, brought to light by a BBC investigation, has been arrested.

BBC News Turkish revealed accusations that Sadettin Karagoz sexually exploited vulnerable women, promising them aid in return for sex. He denies all the allegations.

Mr Karagoz set up his charity in Turkey's capital, Ankara, in 2014. Syrian refugees desperate for help said at first he seemed like an angel.

One of them, Madina, fled the Syrian civil war in 2016 and said that two years later, one of her children became critically ill and her husband abandoned her. Her name has been changed to protect her anonymity.

Left to care for three children alone, she went to Sadettin Karagoz's organisation, which translates as the Hope Charity Store. It gathers donations for refugees such as nappies, pasta, milk and clothes.

He told me: 'When you have nowhere to go, come to me and I will look after you, she says.

But when she did, Madina says he changed. She describes how Mr Karagoz told her to go with him to an area in the office behind a curtain to get some supplies.

He grabbed me, she says. He started kissing me… I told him to get away from me. If I hadn't yelled, he would have tried to rape me.

Madina describes how she escaped from the building but Mr Karagoz later went to her home.

I didn't open the door because I was terrified, she says, explaining that he threatened to have her sent back to Syria.

Scared of repercussions, Madina says she never went to the police and did not tell anyone else what had happened.

Mr Karagoz, a retired bank worker, denies the allegations and has told the BBC that his organisation has helped more than 37,000 people.

He claims that the aid distribution area in the charity is small, crowded and monitored by CCTV so he could not have been alone with any woman.

Over the years, his charity has gained widespread recognition and won a local newspaper award in 2020. In all, three women, including Madina, told the BBC that Mr Karagoz had sexually assaulted and harassed them, with several others corroborating their testimonies.

Batoul, another victim who is now living in Germany, expressed her relief upon learning of his arrest, saying it could empower other women to come forward about instances of exploitation and abuse.