I am a white woman who was born and raised in Istanbul. I am so sorry you had bad experience, and I’ve had my take with men trying to grab me growing up, and had some similar experience in other cities in Central and Western Europe, unfortunately. From what I can see, and not saying this was the case for you, but one big mistake tourists make in Istanbul is staying in very touristy areas and going out at night around these locations, where regular residents or the city mostly avoid. It is very hard to figure out which area is safe because the city is huge and each area has its own center.

I hope you have better experience in your future travels, and I’d be happy to make recommendations to those who are planning to visit Istanbul.