Turkish government abolishes contentious child abuse code

The Turkish government abolished a controversial motion on the sexual abuse of minors on Nov. 23, a day after Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım announced the withdrawal of the bill.

Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ made a short speech on the bill ahead of a Justice Commission meeting in parliament, stating that the government had failed to explain the context of the motion.

"The regulation we put forward did not actually include a single rapist but it was misunderstood. We also could not explain it well. We are withdrawing this regulation due to the public reaction," Bozdağ said.

Ultimately, the related motion was unanimously abolished from the draft.

The bill provoked fury across Turkey as it would have resulted in pardons for some men who assaulted underage girls if they marry their victims.

It stipulated a postponement of the announcement of verdicts for cases of sexual assault committed before Nov. 16 in the event that the victim and the perpetrator had married each other, while also suspending sentences in cases in which the verdict had already been announced.

The bill, part of a 49-article draft amending the code of criminal procedure, was issued in parliament in a night session on Nov. 17 and received a majority of votes from the lawmakers present at the session.

Bozdağ said on Nov. 22 that the issue was "closed," while adding that it might be brought back to the agenda in the future if parties reach a consensus.