A bill which would allow men accused of raping underage girls to be cleared if they marry the girl has been preliminarily backed by Turkish MPs.
The government says the bill is aimed at pardoning men who did not realise they were engaging in underage sex.
Critics say it legitimises rape and child marriage, and lets off men who are aware of their crime.
Violence against women in Turkey has increased in the past decade – 40% of women report sexual or physical abuse.
Statistics also show the murder rate of women increased by 1,400% between 2003 and 2010.
The bill was initially approved on Thursday evening after being brought to parliament by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). On Tuesday, MPs will debate the bill a second time before casting their final vote.
If it passes it will likely quash the convictions of some 3,000 men accused of assaulting an under-18, if their act was committed without “force or threat” and if the aggressor marries the victim with the consent of their family.
But critics say as well as overlooking statutory (underage) rape it would legitimise child marriage.
“Sexual abuse is a crime and there is no consent in it. This is what the AKP fails to understand,” said Ozgur Ozel, MP for the opposition Republican People’s Party, according to AFP news agency. “Seeking the consent of a child is something that universal law does not provide for.”
But Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said it could help couples who have engaged in consensual sex and want to marry.
“When a child is then born from this non-official union, the doctor warns the prosecutor and the man is sent to prison, putting the child and mother into financial difficulties,” he said.
The BBC’s Mark Lowen in Turkey reports critics of the bill have blamed the Islamist government of President Erdogan for encouraging female subservience while in office. Mr Erdogan has said women and men are not equal.
But government supporters say Mr Erdogan has liberated religious women by repealing a ban on headscarves in public places.
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