Child bride found dead in southeastern Turkey after giving second birth

SİİRT – Doğan News Agency

According to the Union of Turkish Bar Associations, one out of every four brides is a child, with families increasingly applying to change their daughters' birthdates so that they can legally marry.

A 14-year-old girl has been found dead in her home, shot by a gun in the southeastern province of Siirt, a few days after giving birth to her second child. 

The girl, identified only as K.E., was only 11-years-old when she was married to a man with a religious ceremony upon their families’ decision. She gave birth to a baby when she was 12 and became pregnant with her second child shortly afterwards. 

K.E. was living with the family of her husband, identified as M.A., in the Pervari district of Siirt. M.A. was recruited to the army for his compulsory military service two months ago, when his wife was seven months pregnant. She then gave birth to her second child, but the baby died soon after birth. 

K.E. was found dead in her room on Jan. 10. Her body had a gunshot wound and was sent to the Diyarbakır Forensic Institute for an autopsy. 

The Pervari public prosecutor’s office has started an investigation into the death, and M.A.’s family members have been questioned. They reportedly claim that the young mother was depressed and had not left her room after losing her baby, adding that she had committed suicide. 

The family members also claim that the deceased is older than 14 and that a court case to decide her real age is currently ongoing.