child marriages continue to be common practice in Turkey, largely due to the lack of awareness of many families regarding the dangers of early marriage, as well as inadequate legal measures.
A convention signed by Council of Europe (CoE) member states at the 2011 Council of Europe Convention that sought to combat violence against women included enacting laws that consider child marriage a crime. According to Article 37, state parties have a duty to criminalize “the intentional conduct of forcing an adult or a child to enter into a marriage.” Even though Turkey is a signatory to the agreement, the rate of child marriages in the country is worryingly high.
In a recent parliamentary inquiry submitted by Republican People's Party (CHP) deputy Serdal Kuyucuoğlu to be answered by Family and Social Policies Minister Sema Ramazanoğlu, it was highlighted that child marriages constitute 30 to 35 percent of all marriages in Turkey.
Kuyucuoğlu's parliamentary inquiry asked the following:
- Has there been any research done by the [Health] Ministry regarding the health issues related to child marriages? If yes, would you share the details?
- How many children are there who discontinued their education due to being married at an early age?
- What is the suicide rate among child brides? Is there a special [Health] Ministry study of families living in regions where the suicide rate is high?
In Turkey, although the legal age for marriage is 17, under a legal provision for “exceptional circumstances” a family can apply for the consent of the court to legally marry a child who is younger than the established legal age. However, what is considered an “exceptional circumstance” is rather vague.
It is common for Turkish families to marry off their children in religious ceremonies without an official civil marriage when they do not meet the age required by law. These ceremonies are conducted by an imam and are often not reported to the authorities.
‘Child marriage responsible for a broad range of issues'
Speaking to Sunday's Zaman, Kuyucuoğlu said that child marriages are the source of a broad range of issues in society, such as the interruption of a child brides' education, increased rates of suicide and increased incidences of infant deaths as well as the health complications often experienced by young women after giving birth.
According to Kuyucuoğlu, since it is still common in Turkey for some families to have their underage children married in merely religious ceremonies, the government should force religious officials to require that families also have a civil marriage.
“Experts should be assigned to educate families in regions where child marriages are common. The Education Ministry should introduce education in schools to educate children as well as their families [about the dangers of early marriage],” said Kuyucuoğlu.
Young girls are at risk for a number of complications during pregnancy and childbirth when they are still teenagers. These complications are the leading causes of death in adolescent girls. A child she bears at a young age is also at risk for complications during and after birth.
He also called on the government to consult with the opposition parties to introduce serious punishments that would actively deter people from arranging child marriages.
Kuyucuoğlu also pointed out another loophole in the law that could be exploited by those arranging child marriages. He noted that while there is a six-to-24-month prison sentence stipulated by the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) for those who have sexual relationships with children above the age of 15, Kuyucuoğlu pointed out that the victim must file a complaint for an investigation to be opened.
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