Women in Turkey hold signs on Sunday reading "Rape cannot be legalized" while protesting a proposed bill that would pardon people imprisoned for statutory rape, part of a larger move to defer sentences for child rapists who marry their victims. The bill has been sent back to a parliamentary committee to be reworked amid protests and concerns raised inside and outside the country, including by the United Nations. Photo by Sedat Suna/European Photo Agency
ANKARA, Turkey, Nov. 22 (UPI) -- Turkish leaders plan to rework a bill some say would have legalized child rape, as long as the attacker married the victim, after it sparked protests across the country last week.
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirimsent on Tuesday sent the bill, which would have applied to at least 3,000 men currently in prison, back to be changed by a parliament subcommittee after people in Turkey and around the world said the law appeared to consider child rape permissible.
The ruling party in Turkey, the Justice and Development Party, also known as AK Party, brought the bill to the floor of the Turkish parliament amid opposition from some in the legislative body and several women's rights groups.
The bill is aimed at reducing the number of husbands sent to jail -- leaving wives and children alone -- by deferring sentencing for men who marry girls under age 18.
"If adopted in its current form, the draft bill would weaken Turkey's ability to combat sexual abuse and child marriage," the United Nations said in a press release. "It would create a perception of impunity in favor of perpetrators of such child rights violations. In addition it would increase the risk for further victimization of the child if she marries the perpetrator of the sexual abuse."
"While acknowledging Turkey's commitment to child rights and the multiple efforts carried out in the past decades to realize them, it is essential that the legal framework continues to be strengthened and stays aligned with international standards to guarantee that children are protected against all forms of sexual abuse and exploitation, including child marriage," the organization said in the statement.
