Prison sentences for abuse 6-year-old girl married - husband and father sentenced in Turkey
A six-year-old girl is married off to a man in an influential Turkish religious sect. It is not until years later that she goes on trial. The verdict now gives an insight into her suffering.
23.09.2024, 21:25
dpa
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- In 2004, a father married off his then six-year-old daughter to a man in an influential Turkish religious sect.
- Now her father and the then husband have been sentenced to long prison terms of 19 and 36 years respectively.
- An arrest warrant has been issued for the girl's fugitive mother, who has also been charged.
The marriage of a girl in Turkey at the age of six shocked people far beyond the country. Now her father and the then husband have been sentenced to long prison terms. The man has been sentenced to 36 years in prison for repeated child sexual abuse and sexual assault, the state news agency Anadolu reported. The girl's father was sentenced to almost 19 years for repeated sexual abuse.
In 2004, the father - founder of the influential Islamic Hiranur Foundation - reportedly had his daughter married to a 29-year-old man in an Islamic wedding. The now adult victim filed a lawsuit at the end of 2020. An initial ruling in the case was revised at the suggestion of an Istanbul court. It had argued that the sentences of 30 and 20 years were too low. An arrest warrant was issued for the girl's fugitive mother, who is also on trial.
A journalist from the opposition newspaper "Birgün" made the case public. It also fueled the discussion about the influence of Islamic orders in Turkey. According to the newspaper "Birgün", a doctor had already become aware of the suspected abuse in 2012 and informed the authorities. However, no criminal proceedings were brought.