Turkish bill sets to clear men of statutory rape if they marry underage female victim

TURKEY – Turkish MPs have preliminarily backed a bill which would allow men accused of raping underage girls to be cleared if they marry the girl.

The bill would pardon men only if they had sex without “force or threat” and if they married the victim.

Critics say it legitimises rape and child marriage and lets off men who are aware of their crime. Violence against women in Turkey has increased in the past decade – 40% of women report sexual or physical abuse.  Statistics also show the murder rate of women increased by 1,400% between 2003 and 2010.

The bill was initially approved after being brought to parliament by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). MPs will debate the bill a second time before casting their final vote.