Around 3000 protestors took to the streets of Istanbul to oppose the bill which, if passed, would allow the release from prison of men guilty of assaulting a minor if it was committed without “force, threat, or any other restriction on consent” and if the aggressor “marries the victim”.
Child marriage is rife in Turkey’s southeast, despite the age of consent being 18.
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.
Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag tried to reassure opponents that the bill would not pardon rapists.
“The bill will certainly not bring amnesty to rapists. This is a step taken to solve a problem in some parts of our country,” he told a NATO meeting.
The bill will be voted on in a second debate this week. Let’s hope they make the right decision.
