Turkey’s AK Party to review controversial bill on underage marriage

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Turkey’s AK Party to review controversial bill on underage marriage

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Turkey’s ruling AK Party is withdrawing a proposed bill on underage marriage for further consultations, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Tuesday, after opposition and rights groups said it could allow men accused of sexually abusing girls to avoid punishment.
Turkey's Prime Minister Binali Yildirim addresses members of parliament from his ruling AK Party (AKP) during a meeting at the Turkish parliament in Ankara, Turkey, November 8, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas

Turkey’s Prime Minister Binali Yildirim addresses members of parliament from his ruling AK Party (AKP) during a meeting at the Turkish parliament in Ankara, Turkey, November 8, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas

The proposal, a copy of which was seen by Reuters, would have allowed sentencing in cases of sexual abuse committed “without force, threat or trick” before Nov. 16, 2016 to be indefinitely postponed if the perpetrator marries the victim.Yildirim said the AKP would seek the opinion of the opposition and civil society groups in order to reformulate the proposal, in line with a call from President Tayyip Erdogan for a wider consensus.He has said the plan, which will be withdrawn from parliament’s general assembly and taken back to a commission, aims to remedy the situation of men who are in jail and are married to women under 18 in a religious ceremony and with the consent of their family.(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk and Tuvan Gumrukcu; Writing by Nick Tattersall) 

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