Child abuse case drags Turkey’s religious sects into public eye
A woman’s claims that she was married at 6 has raised questions about the role of Islamic orders and their influence in the state.
ISTANBUL — Government ministers and opposition leaders in Turkey have spoken out over a woman’s claims that she was married off at the age of 6 in a scandal that has shone a spotlight on the country’s religious sects.
The claims emerged in divorce and criminal proceedings lodged last year by the woman, now 24. She alleges that her father, who heads a foundation linked to the influential Ismailaga community, married her to a 29-year-old sect member as a child and that she was sexually abused by her husband from that age.
Revealed in the left-leaning Birgun newspaper on Saturday, the allegations have led to outrage among leading politicians and the public.
“The information that one of our children was subjected to abuse at the age of 6 has deeply shaken consciences,” Mustafa Sentop, parliament speaker and the most senior figure in the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) to comment on the case, tweeted Thursday.
