Turkey abolishes age limit for sex

The Turkish Constitutional Court has voted for an amendment of the definition of sexual abuse in the country. Previously sex with people under 15 have been illegal. But the new decision means that children can be considered sexually of age if they express consent to sex.

With a narrow majority, seven votes to six, voted the Turkish Constitutional Court to abolish the age limit for sex in Turkey, writes DN.

A lower instance wanted to reconsider

Previously sex with people under 15 have been illegal. But a lower court would reconsider the definition in the law because they felt that there is no difference in the age group - a 14-year-old treated the same as a four year old, writes Hürryiet Daily News.

Enters into force in 2017

The law gives no space when it comes to children between the ages of 12 and 15 who can understand the meaning of sexual relations and express their consent, said the lower court. This line has the Constitutional Court thus decided to follow and the changes take effect in January 2017.

This has given women and child welfare organizations to lash out, and threatening to take the matter all the way to the European Court of Human Rights.

"All the 18 children"

• According to international conventions are all individuals under 18 years old to be considered as children. To seek a child's consent in sexual assault is completely out of the question, says Professor Gökler Bahar, chairman of an organization working against sexual abuse, according Hürryiet Daily News.

The Secretary-General Aysun Baransel from the same organization says that it is impossible to talk about consent in a case where there is about a 60-year-old and a 15-year-old child.

• Unless this decision quickly changed the sex offenders go free because there is no ban.

"Children are vulnerable"

Lawyer Nazan Moroglu from Istanbul's women say girls are now vulnerable to child marriage.

• The repeal of this age limit creates big problems. It will lead to children becoming vulnerable to sexual abuse and that more girls get married at a very young age and do not receive any training.

Can become more child marriages

She pointed out that there is already a problem of child marriage in Turkey.

According to DN, the number of parents applying to marry off underage daughters greatly increased, and the new decision of the Constitutional Court would make these applications are not needed.

The Constitutional Court has already abolished the minimum penalty of 16 years in prison for child rape, writes Hürryiet Daily News.

Source: http://www.svt.se/nyheter/utrikes/turkiet-slopar-aldersgrans-for-sex