Fighting Child Marriage in Şanlıurfa

BACKGROUND

Child, early and forced marriages are fundamental human rights violations and child abuse. Since children have not completed their physical, psychological, cognitive and social development, they will be exposed to inequality of opportunity throughout their lives if they are subjected to abuse. Şanlıurfa is one of the provinces with the highest number of children married at an early age. In 2021, 955 girls were married in Şanlıurfa. In the fight against early and forced marriages, it is important to ensure local and national NGO cooperation and to provide awareness training by establishing direct contact with the target audience.

PROJECT GOALS

• A field team of 6 psychologists will participate in a 12-hour training on child marriages and their effects.
• 200 households and 100 tradesmen will be visited to provide information on child marriages and the ‘Attitude Scale Towards Early Marriages’ will be applied.
• A booklet will be prepared and disseminated that includes rights to prevent early marriages, information about relevant institutions and reporting lines. Şanlıurfa Symposium on Fighting Against Child Marriage will be organized and short-, medium- and long-term policy recommendations will be prepared.

PROJECT RESULTS

• 200 households and 100 tradespeople were visited, and one-on-one interviews were conducted with 913 individuals.
• Awareness-raising conversations about child marriage were held with local residents and tradespeople.
• Prepared brochures and booklets were distributed in the field, explaining that forced child marriage (CHM) is a crime.
• A survey was administered to 359 people to measure public perception of child marriage; the findings were analyzed and compiled into a report.
• On November 15th, a symposium was held with the participation of 52 academics, experts, and students to present the preliminary findings and work of the project, which was conducted within the scope of children's rights.
• Collaborations were developed with institutions such as the Şanlıurfa Bar Association, local municipalities, and the City Council.
• Research findings were shared with 50 participants from relevant institutions at a symposium held in Şanlıurfa on April 18th