Aqeel: 38% of women in Turkey suffer from physical or sexual violence

Sherif Abdel Hamid: The law helps with child abuse and facilitates sexual exploitation

Maat Foundation for Peace, Development and Human Rights condemns, in the strongest terms, the attempt of the ruling party in Turkey to pass a bill exempting the rapist from punishment if he marries his victim, in clear violation of all international conventions and agreements, especially the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, as well as the United Nations Convention on Rights Child.

Maat asserts that the Turkish draft law contradicts the essence of the principles of criminal justice and the principle of the rule of law, as it makes the perpetrator a judge himself and commits his crime and then offers a settlement to the victim, who is the weaker party in this infamous criminal equation. It also represents prejudice to the criminal justice system, achieving redress for survivors, and its contradiction with international human rights conventions.

The Turkish parliament will discuss the bill, which has become known in the media as “marriage to the rapist,” at the end of this month, which allows men accused of raping girls under the age of 18 to escape prosecution if they marry their victims, which is the second attempt of the party. Justice and Development - the ruling party in Turkey - where the same proposal was submitted 4 years ago, but it was met with strong opposition at the domestic and global levels.

Ayman Aqil, head of the Maat Foundation, explained that the draft law is nothing but an affirmation of the miserable situation that women's rights have devised in Turkey under the current regime, which views women with an inferior view, and this has been evident through the statements of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on more than one occasion that he does not Equality between men and women is possible, and this is contrary to the human instinct, which indicates the ruling policy mentality of Turkey towards women. Akil added that about 38% women in Turkey suffer from "physical or sexual violence" from their partners. Women who talk about the violations of the Turkish government are also subjected to threats, intimidation, persecution and imprisonment, and in an ongoing show, women human rights and women's rights defenders, journalists and other activists, continue to face blatant challenges from the government.

For his part, Sherif Abdul Hamid, Director of the Studies and Research Unit at the Maat Foundation of the Turkish Parliament, called for the necessity of rejecting the bill, saying that if approved, this law would help violence against children and facilitate sexual exploitation. Abdul Hamid indicated that Turkey joined the CEDAW Agreement in 1985, and therefore it is obligated to take all appropriate measures, including the amendment or abolition of existing laws, regulations, customs and practices that constitute discrimination against women.