Like many Muslim countries, Turkey has a long and troubling history of child brides and arranged marriages. Some Islamic clerics have maintained that there can be no age limitation on child brides. They often note that Muhammad married Aisha when she was seven and consummated the marriage at nine years old.Just as Pakistan recently struck down its protection for girls from such abuse, the Turkish Constitutional Court annulled a provision that punishes all sexual acts against children under the age of 15 as “sexual abuse.” It is a major set back for girls and women in Turkey and another example of how the Islamic fundamentalists have taken over this once secular country under the authoritarian rule of our ally Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
A lower court insisted that the law is flawed for failing to distinguish between a four-year-old and a fourteen-year-old girl. Most people would find that distinction hard to stomach, but we have seen child brides as young as six in Muslim countries. The lower court also insisted that “consent” must be considered as a defense for girls between the ages of 12 and 15.
Recently, the same members annulled a provision that imposed at least 16 years of imprisonment in cases of child rape for the same reasons.
The vote was a close one: 7-6. However, with Erdoğan taking over every aspect of Turkish government and life, it is doubtful that the courts will remain divided in the future. Erdoğan has demanded that courts, journalists, teachers and every other profession adhere to his views at the risk of arrest.
International conventions treat 18 are the age of majority. International groups have condemned the decision as reinforcing the practice of child brides and the six dissenting members have called the ruling a cause for “public indignation.”
In the meantime, the Erdoğan regime has continued its demands that other countries shutdown media critical of the president or Turkey. It has officially protested stories in Western media on the stripping away of these laws protecting young girls. Erdoğan has been empowered in his efforts to silence the media after Angela Merkel caved into his demands that a comedian be charged for insulting him. Erdoğan has also been encouraged by the Obama Administration’s continued support even as he has rounded up critics, shut down media, and impose Islamic rules on the population.
@Steve
Did you catch this Jimmy Dore on pro war for HRC?
@ “art deco”
Squeek is that you? =)
Art Deco seems to be one of the McCarthyists protecting Clinton:
Joseph,
I think you miss the implication of this story. Obama “hearts” Turkey (at least until he doesn’t). The US goes to war to “save” girls when it is useful for the oligarchy to invade that nation. We often partner with other nations which abuse girls while we are on a mission to save the children! (See news of Saudi bombings just today!)
Turkey is living the oligarchy’s dream right now-suspending rights and lefts!!! But god knows, USGinc. just loves em, bless their hearts! Now if Syria did this, sure, we’d have to go to war (oops, we’re already doing that) along with Saudi Arabia to “save the children”.
It doesn’t get more cynical than Obama, the oligarchy and USGinc.
Yay! More reasons for war! Let’s label Turkey another in Bushy’s “…axis of evil…” Regime change, anyone? Send in the Marines to spread more Western style “freedom” and “democracy” in the mid east! Build some hospitals, start some schools, drop billions of $ in cash on pallets, grow more heroin poppies, print $4T of debt financing (keep those bankers happy!), and call it another rousing “WIN/WIN” for mankind!
Keep spreading peace the way President Wilson described! It’s working! Save the little girls!
/sarc off
Art Deco writes, “Which ideas were those, if you know?
The entire edifice conceived of as a predictive social science. Thesis, antithesis, synthesis, end of days with the withering away of the state.
Also not valid (if your aim is efficiency and general well-being) was the economic architecture derived from it and implemented after 1917 as seen in the Soviet tragedy.”
Marx wrote not a word about the state as part of his economic theory. Marxism was about private production owned by those who are the producers. That’s the flaw in your argument that Stalinism represents Marxism. Stalinism was totalitarian, and so is socialism which resides in the state. Furthermore, according to Wolff, Marx wrote not one word on socialism or communism. His general goal was to move beyond capitalism by criticizing its failure to provide freedom, equality, and fraternity, as in our current system.
Autumn,
I agree, as Karen pointed out above, some survivors make it, somehow, someway. But many don’t. No one should have to come through this or be required to act as a hero. A child doesn’t need to be treated this way, ever.
Sorry: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDXHrOJZ6H8&list=WL&index=11
I’m afraid some might disagree with your statement.
So what? There is still no Marxian economics. If this fellow Wolff studied biochemistry, there still would be no Marxian biochemistry.
Which ideas were those, if you know?
The entire edifice conceived of as a predictive social science. Thesis, antithesis, synthesis, end of days with the withering away of the state.
Also not valid (if your aim is efficiency and general well-being) was the economic architecture derived from it and implemented after 1917 as seen in the Soviet tragedy.
Art Deco writes: “There is no such thing as ‘Marxian economics’.”
I’m afraid some might disagree with your statement.
Rick Wolff is a Harvard graduate, with a master’s in economics from Stanford, another master’s in economics from Yale, and a master’s in history from Yale, along with his Ph.D. in economics from Yale. Please take a look at following YouTube video’s title:
Global Capitalism | Economic Professor Richard D. Wolff – Intro to Marxian Economics 1st session
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDXHrOJZ6H8&index=11&list=WL
Thanks.
Live a little and see what he says about Marx and the other critics of capitalism.
Educate yourself before you post.
Once you complete Introduction to Reading Comprehension, Autumn, you will be able to understand that the person who complained about the dearth of Marxists employed in higher education in this country was not me but Steve Groen.
Autumn, about 1/3 of the children born in Germany today are out-of-wedlock. The comparable rate in the United States in 1960 was 3%. We did not in this country have degenerate nurses employed by school districts to push contraceptives on minors. Ba**tardy is a phenomenon fairly insensitive to the supply of degenerate nurses but fairly responsive to the presence of a common ethnic concerning the place of human sexuality in life.
Yep, we have a healthy birthrate in the U.S. all right – lots of people breeding and producing kids that they won’t or can’t take care of.
I’m from New York, where we have 4.4 million minors, but a foster care census of 25,000. Strange as it may seem to you, people take care of their children, even in the slums.
@Jill
or you can being up Ayaan Hirsi Ali – her story is amazing!!
Really? You label Germans as “euro trash” for enacting sensible solutions (access to birth control) to prevent out of wedlock births?
It seems ‘sensible’ to you because sense (with perspective) is what you’re lacking.
@art deco
Actually there IS a major neo Marxian / Gramascian school of thought within our borders. Educate yourself before you post. Richard Wolff, Sheldon Wolin, Cornel West
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_D._Wolff
Aisha, 18
“I got married when I was just 10.
“At the time of the marriage, my husband was a school student, just 16 years old.
“My father had a second wife and he had a conflict with them, so he gave me away in order to settle the conflict with the second wife’s family.
“The marriage was arranged by family, it was not a forced marriage – but I was a little girl at the time, I did not know the meaning of marriage and accepted it because I did not know any better. My husband was really harsh with me because of the fact that I did not know what a marriage was, and what the duties of a wife were.
“He wanted a sexual relationship but I did not even know what that was at the time, and so he started beating me to get it.
“My hand was fractured, and also my eyes suffered injuries and were severely affected from the beatings. Very early on in the marriage, I fell pregnant twice. Both children died due to my extremely young age.
“No one could help me – everyone remained silent. I guess they thought this is a tradition – that every woman should be beaten by her husband and this is his right to get his demands, to get what he wants.
“I did not escape – I compromised with him and stayed for the sake of two children we now have (two more, after the first two died).
“My children are the reason I have stayed. And my father is old now, I can’t hurt him by leaving so I will stay – it’s tradition. This is a tradition here in my village (in the Bannu district). Most females get married at 10-12 years old.
“What I would say to other young girls in your position is never get married at an early age.
“If you do you will have psychological problems like I do. I don’t get to live like other girls my age – and I never will.”
“We need financial help, we need centres in this village – where we can be taught skills and work, and earn money for our families so we don’t have to be sold as child brides.
“We also need mental health institutions so people with mental health issues like me can recover.”
Well, that sounds wonderful and I don’t see any problem with this situation at all. I’m sure the girl just loves getting raped and beaten and abused, don’t most kids? Sure Paul, you’re right, no problem at all!
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