Women protest against ‘child abuse amnesty’

The AKP is planning a draft law that would provide for an amnesty in cases of sexual abuse of minors in the event of marriage between victim and perpetrator. In over forty cities in Turkey, women have taken to the streets against this.

In more than forty cities in Turkey and Northern Kurdistan, women have taken to the streets to protest against a draft law on sexual abuse of minors. The ruling party AKP wants to suspend the execution of the sentence of convicted offenders if they marry their victims and the age difference between them does not exceed ten years.

Women's organizations criticize that the planned law legitimizes child abuse. The nationwide protests took place under the motto "No to amnesty for child abuse".

The Rosa women's association in Amed (Diyarbakir) demanded instead of an amnesty for the perpetrators a remission of punishment for women who use their right of self-defence and defend themselves against the perpetrators.