WUNRN
TURKEY - CHILD MARRIAGE
Direct Link to Full 10-Page Document
on CHILD MARRIAGE IN TURKEY:
Child marriage is an
appalling violation of human rights and robs girls of their education, health
and long-term prospects. A girl who is married as a child is one whose
potential will not be fulfilled. Since many parents and communities also want
the very best for their daughters, we must work together and end child
marriage.
Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin - Executive Director, UNFPA
Until ten years ago, the statutory minimum age for marriage was 15 for women and 17 for men. The revised 2002 Turkish Civil Code raised the statutory minimum age to 17 years for women (article 124), putting it on par with that of men.11 The current minimum age (17) is not in keeping with international norms, however, which hold that 18 should be the minimum age for marriage.12 The 2002 Civil Code also states that “marriage of a person (both men and women) of the age of 16 is allowed by the court decision based on exceptional circumstances.“13 It must be pointed out that even though the minimum age for marriage is now the same for women and men, in practice, early marriages continue to occur, and predominantly affect girls.
Under the Civil Code, if a
woman has been forced into marriage, she can file a criminal complaint; she
also has the right to file for an annulment within the first five years of
marriage.14 The Turkish Penal Code does not include any specific sanctions against
child marriages. Sexual assault committed against a child aged 15 or under is
considered a crime, subject to a complaint from the victim. However, the right
to make a complaint is only given to the child,15 who may fear the consequences of
going to the police, or may be unaware that she has the right to do so.
In
While civil marriages,
registered at a Register Office, are held before the mayor or his or her
authorized official, religious marriages are usually held before an imam or any
other person who has religious knowledge. Most child marriages are conducted
this way. As there is no official data on religious marriages, this means that
accurate statistical data on child marriages in
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TURKEY - ESTIMATE THAT ONE IN EVERY
FOUR MARRIAGES IN TURKEY INVOLVES A CHILD BRIDE
AYDIN – Doğan News Agency - May 4, 2013
The legal age for marriage in
One out of every four brides is a child as families are
increasingly applying to the court to change the date of birth of their
daughters so that they can legally marry, warned an association of Turkish
female lawyers May 4. “There is an increase of 94 percent in application to courts
by families to show their daughters age older, in order to get marriage
permit,” said Gülten Kaya, head of the female lawyers’ commission of the Union
of Turkish Bar Associations, during a meeting of the group in
Kuşadası.
The legal age for marriage in
Lack of shelters for women victim of violence
Ay also said that despite the enactment of a law on violence against women,
shelters for victims existed in only 14 provinces out of 8. “So laws are not
enough; Awareness should be raised,” she said.