Turkish Girl Raised By German Family Reunited With Biological Mother    

A Turkish girl who was taken away from her mother and given to a German family seven years ago in Germany was reunited with her biological mother on Wednesday in the Turkish province of Sakarya.

Elif Yaman was taken from her mother when she was 12 years old by the German state on the grounds that the mother couldn't afford to care for her daughter as she was unemployed. Yaman was then given to a Christian foster family and her biological mother was deported to Turkey. The mother and daughter last saw each other three years ago.

When Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag heard that Yaman was trying to contact her mother, he helped the young woman obtain a visa and a plane ticket.

Yaman flew to Istanbul on Monday and was then taken to Sakarya by state officials. The mother and daughter were reunited at a hotel. Both were in tears as they embraced each other.

Speaking to reporters at the hotel, Yaman thanked Bozdag for his efforts to bring her to Turkey and said there are many Turkish children living with foster families in Germany.

Yaman is now 19 years old and does not speak Turkish. Asked whether she had difficulty in observing Islamic rituals as she had been living with a Christian family, Yaman said she was able to perform her religious activities.

"I was visiting mosques and learned how to read the Quran there," Yaman told reporters.

The mother and the daughter were expected to visit Bozdag in Ankara on Thursday.

Turkish children are being taken away from their families in Europe by child welfare offices, known as the Jugendamt in Germany, over claims of abuse or financial problems, leading to the destruction of many families and the assimilation of children who eventually lose contact with their families.

There are reportedly some 4,000 Turkish children in the hands of these offices in Europe and many grow up unfamiliar with their culture and traditions. Although laws say that every child cared for by these offices should be raised in accordance with their culture or religion, this is largely not put into practice.

Teenagers taken away from their families are placed in dorms, while younger children are given to foster families. Foster families are paid by the state in return for caring for these children.

Source: en.haberler.com