CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF EARLY MARRIAGES AMONG AHISKA TURKS IN KYRGYZSTAN

Abstract

An early or child marriage is the formal or informal union of two persons, at least one of whom is under 18 years of age. Underage spouses are presumed to be incapable of giving their full consent to marriage because of their age. Therefore, early marriages should be recognized as a violation of human rights and the rights of the child. This paper discusses the causes of early marriages among Ahıska Turks and the impact of early marriages on women's physical and mental health. The analysis of the data from the survey conducted by the author of the article in 2022 was carried out. The survey was conducted among Turkish women of the Ahiska region. A faceto-face survey was conducted among Turkish Ahıska women in different age categories. The purpose of this survey is to determine the advantages and disadvantages of early marriages. This paper aims to determine the causes and consequences of early marriages among Ahıska Turks. The method chosen for gathering information was face-to-face interviews with Ahıska Turks. Early marriage is a gendered phenomenon that affects children of both genders in many ways. The right of girls to be protected from early marriage is enshrined in several international agreements, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). Both documents call on countries to set the minimum age of marriage at 18 in their national legislation.