'Why Child Marriage Not Prevented Despite Attempts?'

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A child marriage in southeastern province Diyarbakır on January 26 has been brought into the parliamentary agenda. Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) MP Adnan Selçuk Mızraklı has directed a parliamentary question to Minister of Family, Labor and Social Services Zehra Zümrüt Selçuk.

After a notice regarding the marriage was delivered to the Diyarbakır Bar Association, it appealed to the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and the Ministry but all the attempts failed.

CLICK - Diyarbakır Bar: A Girl Child Got Married Overtly Despite All Attempts 

MP Mızraklı has said that the Diyarbakır Bar was informed and requested legal help about the marriage:

"The Bar filed a complaint at the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and their petition of complaint was delivered to the Kulp district Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. Kulp Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, after taking testimonies of all the suspects and the statement of the child, released all the suspects upon the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) Article 14 because the parents of the child did not make a complaint.

"Then the complaint line affiliated to the Ministry of Family was called and a record of the incident was created. Despite the Diyarbakır Bar making all the legal and institutional attempts, the child got married."

"What happened to the child?"

MP Mızraklı has directed the following questions to the Minister:

-Why did the relevant institutions not prevent the marriage of the 15-year-old girl child despite attempts by the Diyarbakır Bar?

-Does the marriage of a 15-year-old girl child have a legal basis? If it has, what is that legal basis?

-Was a psychologist or a pedagogue assigned by the Ministry or the Prosecutor's Office present at the Kulp Chief Public Prosecutor's Office when the girl child was making her statement?

-Was any legal or administrative action taken by the Ministry against officers who blatantly did not prevent the child's marriage?

-What happened to this girl who was forced to marry and where is she now?

-How many girl children have been married in the last five years?

-What kind of works is the Ministry doing to prevent child marriage? (AÖ/VK)