Turkish Directorate of Religious Affairs (TDRA) has published a scandalous update on its website regarding the age of marriage for children. Directorate updated an answer to a question on their website, explaining that age of marriage could be as low as 9 for girls and 12 for boys, so long as the children have entered puberty.
[mks_dropcap style="letter" size="52" bg_color="#ffffff" txt_color="#000000"]I[/mks_dropcap]n Turkey, marriage is possible for adults of legal age (above the age of 18) and in exceptional cases with parental consent after the age of 15 for children. While one third of all marriages in Turkey involves a partner below the age of 18, Turkish Directorate of Religious Affairs has published a statement on their website that legitimates marriage of girls and boys even below the age of 15. The statement suggested that a child that enters puberty would be eligible for marriage. Chairperson of the Turkish Women’s Associations Federation Canan Güllü criticised the statement saying this statement is against the Constitution, Turkish Penal Code and Turkish Civil Code as well as principle of secularism and Children’s Rights Convention. In various cities, civil society organisations have staged protest rallies against the TDRA’s statement. In Ankara’s Sakarya Square the People’s House has staged a rally which was intervened by police, that led to detention of 6 People’s House members and 1 journalist, reporter of Sendika.Org. Later at Güvenpark a group has gathered with the demands for shutting down of TDRA. Women’s Councils have called for a rally on January 5, Friday at 8 pm in Istanbul’s Beşiktaş calling for an end to intervention of TDRA on children’s lives. The Women’s Councils have issued a statement that read “9 year old child can not marry! Child abuse can not be legitimated. We will not stay silent while Directorate of Religious Affairs makes a statement legitimating children’s marriage.” [caption id="" align="alignright" width="303"] Kocaeli Women's Platform[/caption] Kocaeli Women’s Platform has also staged a rally accusing TRDA of putting children on the target of sexual abuse and using religion, religious texts and religious orders to legitimate sexual abuse. While the reactions grow nation-wide, TRDA has issued a new statement that the institution suggests no earlier marriage for boys below the age of 18 and for girls below the age of 17. Later on TRDA has shut down the part its website which releases updates on popular issues and questions received by readers, under the title of "Dictionary of Religious Terminology".