Early on this year, the Turkish Parliament set up an investigation commission, promptly called the Divorce Commission, to look into the skyrocketing divorce rates in Turkey. Their purpose is to look into the causes of divorce in an attempt to lower their rates. Many political parties approve this commission and believe that it would really benefit the nation.
Of course, the people didn't feel the same way. Women across the country stood up against the commission and spoke out against its absurdity. Protests have been held in major cities, women's rights groups on college campuses have held rallies against this commission. On Twitter, women have harshly criticized the Commission, talking about how it's attacking their rights as women.
The Divorce Commission findings can be divided into four areas that highlight why the divorce rates are the way they are in Turkey, and also shows why women across the nation oppose this commission:
1. Age of Marriage:
The commission reported that the legal age of marriage is 15 and anyone younger than that is considered a minor. If minors engage in sex with adults and then decided to get married, then there is no charge of pedophilia. The marriage will be observed for 5 years, however, and if there is no sign of physical violence, then there will be no punishment. This law is considered by many Turks to be the "marrying your rapist" law. Surprisingly, polygamy and religious marriages have barely been touched upon in this report.
2. Domestic Violence:
The report talks about the high levels of domestic violence towards women. Oddly, the report doesn't talk about the safe houses for women in Turkey. In the report, the commission suggests to make legal complaints at certain buildings, instead of complaining to the police.
3. Divorce:
The commission suggests that divorce cases should be held in secrecy to protect the family. This is (as many woman's rights group noticed) a way to get independent observers to stay away from divorce hearings and not be influenced by them. Surprisingly, the commission wanted to reduce the number of years of separation required to file a divorce from three to one, thus making divorce easier. The commission also wants to limit the time period for alimony, making it harder for divorced women to live off of and raise a family.
4. Increasing involvement of Diyanet in family affairs:
The commission suggests advisors from Diyanet (Religious Affairs Directorate) to help mediate the process of divorce. If the divorce court sees that there is still hope for a couple wanting a divorce, all it would have to do is recommend the couple to see a Diyanet to settle the dispute.
The women are not wrong, and this commission is harmful to the laws of Turkey. There are many social issues in Turkey, such as women's murders, gangs that target the LGBT community, increasing cases of pedophilia, a large portion of the population being homophobic, women receiving much lower wages then men, and an alarming increase of sexual violence. The fact that the Turkish government finds divorce rates something to be prioritized over means that they overlooking all of the other social issues that actually are a problem in Turkey. Also, looking from a statistical perspective, the divorce rate in Turkey is 1.7%, which is significantly lower than the divorce rates in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Iran.
The Commission, although they have a good intention, would do nothing but harm to the country if their suggestions were to be followed by the government. The secular law code will become more Islamic, rapes would be encouraged, pedophilia can be covered up by saying its an "early marriage," and violence against women would not be hindered in anyway.
Women across the country battle this commission because it targets them, wanting to reduce their rights and making them more open to abuse. If the AKP party decide to legalize anything that the commission suggests, then women in Turkey are doomed to be subject to the harsh, Islamic practices and to reject their own secular laws in which they were founded upon.
