Early marriage leads to more violence in Turkey, study shows

ANKARA – Anadolu Agency

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Women who were married before turning 18 years old were more often exposed to violence by their spouses when compared to woman who married after 18 in Turkey, according to an initial report released by Family and Social Policies Ministry.

The rate of physical violence among women who were married when they were underage was 48 percent, while violence against those who were married after the age of 18 was given as 31 percent, according to the summary report, which is being prepared by the Family and Social Policies Ministry and the Hacettepe University Institute of Population Studies.

The report also suggested physical violence was more common in Central Anatolia, while the prevalence of serious violence was common in Central Anatolia and Western Anatolia.

Meanwhile, the rate of exposure to sexual violence across Turkey was confirmed as 12 percent, with the most common regions for sexual violence being Central Anatolia, Eastern and Western Marmara and Western Black Sea. The participants also referred to sexual intercourse without their consent because of fear as the most common form of sexual violence.

Nine percent of women were exposed to violence during childhood, with 29 percent committed by male relatives and 38 percent by strangers.

The report showed younger men commit more sexual violence, adding the rate of physical violence increases as men grow older, without giving the statistics.

The report, with the participation of 7,462 women aged between 15 and 59 in 78 provinces, suggested 10 out of every four women were exposed to physical violence committed by their spouses.

In addition, 44 percent of participants said they were exposed to emotional violence, while 30 percent said they were exposed to economic violence.

The initial report also suggested marital status has a profound effect on the level of violence.

Women who were divorced or lived apart from their spouses were exposed to physical or sexual violence (75 percent) twice as much as the total number of women who were exposed to violence.

Accordingly, the rate of single women who were exposed to violence from their partners was seven percent.

In this respect, three out of 10 women were exposed to insistent pursuit, mostly by constant phone calls, short messages, or e-mails and harassment via social media.

The report concluded one-fourth of women who were exposed to violence were injured. This rate was six times higher among women living in urban areas than those who living in rural areas. The report also showed one-third of women who were exposed to violence thought about suicide five times more than those who were never exposed to violence.