Turkey has been a subject of controversial bills in the past and this seems to continue as to moves onto another extremely controversial bill. This time it is even more horrendous than before.
In 2016, a bill was defeated which introduced allowing men to have sex with minors (girls less than 18 years old) if they had consent. This faced a global backlash and was even objected to, in the UN. Now in 2020, it seems like the thought process of those in power haven’t changed that much with this time, the bill being even more ridiculous. The bill claims to free the rapist if he agrees to marry the victim. It just comes to show the level of understanding law makers have regarding the rights of men. It is, at the least, outrageous.
Suad Abu-Dayyeh, a campaigner who specialises in the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan for Equality Now, a non government organisation 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”.
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
This one also seems to be on course to be immediately dismissed.
