Authorities in Turkey's Gaziantep get 41 girls enrolled in education thanks to hotline

GAZİANTEP

A total of 41 girls will return to education thanks to a hotline set up in 2015 to prevent child marriages in the southeastern province of Gaziantep, state-run Anadolu Agency reported on Jan. 2.

The Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality commenced Turkey’s first “child bride hotline” service within the scope of “Do Not Make Girls Brides, Send Them to School Instead” project in 2015.

Following warnings made through the hotline, 41 girls have been saved since from getting married, the agency said. Authorities have made contacts with the children’s parents and ensured that they went back to school.

As part of the project, trainers have so far provided an awareness-raising training for children from 155 schools in Gaziantep as well as their parents.

“Do Not Make Girls Brides, Send Them to School Instead” is carried out cooperatively between the Gaziantep Municipality, the provincial directorate of the Education Ministry, provincial directorate of Family and Social Policies Ministry, Gaziantep University and 19 non-governmental organizations.