Turkey govt withdraws controversial child sex conviction bill

Turkish government withdraws a controversial bill that pardons and allows the release of men convicted of having sex with underage girls, if they have married them.

The bill which came as part of a package of amendments to legal system, sparked overnight protests across Turkish society and got condemned globally.

Critics believe, such bill would legitimise statutory rape and encourage the practice of taking child brides.

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UN agencies too have argued that it would damage the country's ability to combat sexual abuse and child marriage.

But the government’s logic says that the main aim of such bill is to exonerate men imprisoned for marrying an underage girl apparently with her or her family's consent.

Considering Turkey’s patriarchal set up and cases of widespread child marriages, critics say a young girl would hardly be able to defend her right of saying ‘No.’ So, the bill would have legitimized rape in some way.

Soon after the protests, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım said, “The commission will evaluate and take into account all sides and surely a solution will be found.”

The legal age of consent in Turkey is 18, but child marriage is widespread here. The bill has not only been questioned by Opposition activists, but pro-government Women’s and Democracy Association have also criticized the bill.