One in every four marriages in Turkey involves child bride, activists say

One out of every four brides is a child and families are increasingly applying to the court to change the date of birth of their daughters so that they can legally marry, Hürriyet Daily News cites the association of Turkish female lawyers as saying on May 4.

“There is an increase of 94 percent in application to courts by families to show their daughters age older, in order to get marriage permit,” Gülten Kaya, head of the female lawyers’ commission of the Union of Turkish Bar Associations, said during a meeting of the group in Kuşadası.

The legal age for marriage in Turkey is nopw 17, the news agency informs. However the commission members believe that the limit should be increased to the majority age of 18.

Adapted from: Vestnik Kavkaza