Turkish Government To Pass “Marry-Your-Rapist” Bill,

The Turkish parliament has agreed to pass a law mandating rapists to marry their victims

Naija News Understands that the law would allow men accused of having sex with girls who are under 18 to avoid punishment if they marry their victims. it is set to be introduced to the Turkish parliament.

The controversial ” bill, is expected to be introduced to the Turkish parliament at the end of January, has sparked fury among women’s rights campaigners in the country.

Critics argue the legislation, which the opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) is urging the government to axe, not only legitimises child marriage and statutory rape but also paves the way for child abuse and sexual exploitation.

A similar bill was defeated in Turkey in 2016 after national and global outrage. The legislation would have only pardoned men if they had sex without “force or threat”.

Suad Abu-Dayyeh, a campaigner who specializes in the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan for Equality Now, a non-government organization which aims to promote the rights of women and girls, said it was “shocking” politicians are trying to pass a bill that “provides impunity for perpetrators of child sexual exploitation”.

She told The Independent: “I applaud the brave work of women’s rights campaigners in Turkey who are taking a stand against this discriminatory bill and pushing back again regressive forces that are seeking to remove current legal protections for girls. Similar ‘marry-your-rapist’ legal provisions have been on the statute books of countries across the Middle East and North Africa.

“Thanks to years of campaigning by women’s rights activists and lawmakers, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia, and Palestine have all removed these loopholes in recent years. Rather than attempting to introduce legislation that harms women’s rights and protections, Turkish lawmakers should take heed of these advances in repealing gender discriminatory laws.”

While the legal age of consent is 18 in Turkey, a 2018 government report on child marriage estimates a total of 482,908 girls were married in the last decade.