A new bill proposed by the Turkish parliament will allow those who rape underage children to be pardoned for the crime as long as they marry the victim after the act.
The bill would pardon men only if they had sex without “force or threat” and if they married the victim.
Critics say it legitimises rape and child marriage, and lets off men who are aware of their crime.
Violence against women in Turkey has increased in the past decade – 40% of women report sexual or physical abuse.
Statistics also show the murder rate of women increased by 1,400% between 2003 and 2010.
The bill was initially approved on Thursday evening after being brought to parliament by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).
On Tuesday, MPs will debate the bill a second time before casting their final vote.
