Sociodemographic Characteristics of Child Marriages: A Retrospective Analysis

Abstract

This study was carried out to determine the profiles of cases applying to a provincial Turkish Family Court for marriage permits, to investigate the reasons that push girls into early marriage, and to examine the court's decisions. The files of 75 people who'd applied to this family court between 2013 and 2017 for a marriage permit were examined retrospectively. The study found girls under 18 to be applying for a marriage permit in 96% of the cases and boys under 18 in 4% of the cases; of the girls, 41.7% were pregnant while 6.9% had already had their baby. Also, 28% of the applicants had mothers who'd also gotten married before the age of 18. In 93.4% of the cases, the couples' relationship having caused the people around them to gossip and in turn affect the couple's families adversely was considered an important reason for granting a marriage permit. People in the at-risk group are recommended to receive education about the negative aspects of early marriages.