Turkish parliament passes code to increase sentence to abusers
ANKARA
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The Turkish parliament’s General Assembly has passed a code that would increase sentences meted out to sexual abusers on Nov. 24.According to the new code, child sexual abusers will be sentenced to jail between eight and 15 years. The sentence will be between three to eight years if no rape is in question.
The minimum sentence for abusing a child below the age of 12 starts from 10 years and will be no lower than five years if there is no rape with the new code.
If the rape is carried out with the penetration of an object, then the sentence cannot be lower than 16 years and if the victim is younger than 12 years, then the sentence cannot be lower than 18 years.
The increase in sentences comes months after the Constitutional Court’s decision to annul an article on the sexual abuse of children, which triggered a broad debate.
In the Turkish Penal Code, sexual-related crimes against children were regulated under Article 103, which in its first section, identified all sexual actions committed against children under the age of 15 as “sexual abuse.” The Constitutional Court annulled this clause of the law, saying it would enter into force six months after it was published in the Official Gazette. The decision was announced on July 13, and therefore the deadline will expire on Jan. 13, 2017.
