The proposal introduced by the ruling Justice and Development (AK) to pardon some men imprisoned for marrying girls under the age of 18 in a religious ceremony and with the consent of their family flared a debate in Turkey on Friday.
Responding to objections by two opposition parties-the Republican People's Party (CHP) and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ said: "What we are doing is looking to find a solution to an ongoing problem; it is not to protect rape or protect rapists. We seek the heaviest punishment for rapists."
"Those aren't rapists, they aren't people who committed sexual assault by force. Those are acts done with the consent of families and the young ones." Bozdağ added that under the new law, entering into a marriage with someone underage would remain a crime punishable by 16 years in prison.Proposed bill to provide one-time relief for men jailed for marrying underage.
The proposal would defer sentencing or punishment for men who got married girls under age of 18 in a religious ceremony and with the consent of the girl and her family.
The proposal says it is meant to protect those who were too young to marry legally. It will be brought up again for consideration at the Parliament on Tuesday.
An earlier law said there was no sexual assault if the couple got married. It was replaced by the current law in 2005, which set a minimum prison sentence of eight years, extended to 16 years in 2014.
Turkey has one of the highest rates of child marriage in Europe with an estimated 15% of girls married before the age of 18. However, statistical data available may not be representative of the scale of the issue since most child marriages are unregistered and take place as unofficial religious marriages. The platform “No to Child Brides” brings together 50 organisations working to end child marriage in Turkey. It is co-chaired by Girls Not Brides members Flying Broom and the International Children’s Centre Turkey.
Turkey has ratified the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Council of Europe’s Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (Istanbul Convention).
Mavi Boncuk |
The opposition, celebrities, and even an association whose deputy chairman is the daughter of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed alarm over the move.
But the government insisted the legislation was aimed at dealing with the widespread custom of child marriages and the criticism was a crude distortion of its aim.
The measures were approved in an initial parliamentary reading on Thursday and will be voted on again in a second debate in the coming days.
If passed, the law would allow the release from prison of men guilty of assaulting a minor if the act was committed without “force, threat, or any other restriction on consent” and if the aggressor “marries the victim”.
The legal age of consent in Turkey is 18 but child marriage is widespread, especially in the southeast.
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