First modification:
When she was 14 years old, Dilek Demir’s father called her into the living room with the news that the stranger in front of her would be her husband. She demir she was married to that man for 16 years, in which she was abused and had four children. She now fights so that the same thing happens to no one else.
According to data from various NGOs, 15% of women in Turkey marry before the age of 18, something illegal. The figure, however, could actually be higher.
And it is, above all, in the east of the country, where child marriages are more common, with 13- and 14-year-old girls being forced to marry strangers, sometimes 10 or 15 years older than them. This was the case of Dilek Demir, a resident of the city of Diyarbakir.
“My married life turned into a nightmare. A nightmare from start to finish. Sexual abuse of a minor like me. At that age one cannot legally marry. Until the age of 18, you are considered to be a child. I began to suffer a nightmare every day, ”explains Demir, who then promised that she would dedicate her life to preventing more young people from suffering what she experienced.
His life took a huge turn in 2014. That year, Demir ran for the position of ‘muhtar’ of his neighborhood – a kind of neighborhood chief elected in elections – and, since then, he has been fighting and raising awareness among neighbors to end marriages. childish.
As he explains, through fights, arguments and a lot of work, he has managed to prevent 40 young people from the city from being forced into an unwanted marriage.
“The families of these young women have ended up hating me and have not let me get close to the girls again. It’s a bit like taking the lamb out of a wolf’s mouth, because that way they hate us,” says Demir from his office.
First modification:
When she was 14 years old, Dilek Demir’s father called her into the living room with the news that the stranger in front of her would be her husband. She demir she was married to that man for 16 years, in which she was abused and had four children. She now fights so that the same thing happens to no one else.
According to data from various NGOs, 15% of women in Turkey marry before the age of 18, something illegal. The figure, however, could actually be higher.
And it is, above all, in the east of the country, where child marriages are more common, with 13- and 14-year-old girls being forced to marry strangers, sometimes 10 or 15 years older than them. This was the case of Dilek Demir, a resident of the city of Diyarbakir.
“My married life turned into a nightmare. A nightmare from start to finish. Sexual abuse of a minor like me. At that age one cannot legally marry. Until the age of 18, you are considered to be a child. I began to suffer a nightmare every day, ”explains Demir, who then promised that she would dedicate her life to preventing more young people from suffering what she experienced.
His life took a huge turn in 2014. That year, Demir ran for the position of ‘muhtar’ of his neighborhood – a kind of neighborhood chief elected in elections – and, since then, he has been fighting and raising awareness among neighbors to end marriages. childish.
As he explains, through fights, arguments and a lot of work, he has managed to prevent 40 young people from the city from being forced into an unwanted marriage.
“The families of these young women have ended up hating me and have not let me get close to the girls again. It’s a bit like taking the lamb out of a wolf’s mouth, because that way they hate us,” says Demir from his office.
First modification:
When she was 14 years old, Dilek Demir’s father called her into the living room with the news that the stranger in front of her would be her husband. She demir she was married to that man for 16 years, in which she was abused and had four children. She now fights so that the same thing happens to no one else.
According to data from various NGOs, 15% of women in Turkey marry before the age of 18, something illegal. The figure, however, could actually be higher.
And it is, above all, in the east of the country, where child marriages are more common, with 13- and 14-year-old girls being forced to marry strangers, sometimes 10 or 15 years older than them. This was the case of Dilek Demir, a resident of the city of Diyarbakir.
“My married life turned into a nightmare. A nightmare from start to finish. Sexual abuse of a minor like me. At that age one cannot legally marry. Until the age of 18, you are considered to be a child. I began to suffer a nightmare every day, ”explains Demir, who then promised that she would dedicate her life to preventing more young people from suffering what she experienced.
His life took a huge turn in 2014. That year, Demir ran for the position of ‘muhtar’ of his neighborhood – a kind of neighborhood chief elected in elections – and, since then, he has been fighting and raising awareness among neighbors to end marriages. childish.
As he explains, through fights, arguments and a lot of work, he has managed to prevent 40 young people from the city from being forced into an unwanted marriage.
“The families of these young women have ended up hating me and have not let me get close to the girls again. It’s a bit like taking the lamb out of a wolf’s mouth, because that way they hate us,” says Demir from his office.
First modification:
When she was 14 years old, Dilek Demir’s father called her into the living room with the news that the stranger in front of her would be her husband. She demir she was married to that man for 16 years, in which she was abused and had four children. She now fights so that the same thing happens to no one else.
According to data from various NGOs, 15% of women in Turkey marry before the age of 18, something illegal. The figure, however, could actually be higher.
And it is, above all, in the east of the country, where child marriages are more common, with 13- and 14-year-old girls being forced to marry strangers, sometimes 10 or 15 years older than them. This was the case of Dilek Demir, a resident of the city of Diyarbakir.
“My married life turned into a nightmare. A nightmare from start to finish. Sexual abuse of a minor like me. At that age one cannot legally marry. Until the age of 18, you are considered to be a child. I began to suffer a nightmare every day, ”explains Demir, who then promised that she would dedicate her life to preventing more young people from suffering what she experienced.
His life took a huge turn in 2014. That year, Demir ran for the position of ‘muhtar’ of his neighborhood – a kind of neighborhood chief elected in elections – and, since then, he has been fighting and raising awareness among neighbors to end marriages. childish.
As he explains, through fights, arguments and a lot of work, he has managed to prevent 40 young people from the city from being forced into an unwanted marriage.
“The families of these young women have ended up hating me and have not let me get close to the girls again. It’s a bit like taking the lamb out of a wolf’s mouth, because that way they hate us,” says Demir from his office.