Turkey takes steps to outlaw child brides

Turkey's parliament has written a new charter to assure against child brides, officials say. A four-party committee -- made up of representatives from the Justice and Development Party, Republican People's Party, Nationalist Movement Party and Peace and Democracy Party -- came to a consensus on the charter Thursday, Hurriyet Daily News reported. "The state takes precautions that will prevent the marriage of girl children by force and at an early age," the draft clause states. The document bans marriages of people who are under the legal age of consent, which in Turkey is 18 years of age. The law was inspired by United Nations' first International Day of the Girl Child, with a focus on ending child marriage, which took place Oct. 11. Along with preventing child brides, the commission fully agreed on constitutional assurance to protect women from domestic violence. "The state takes precautions which will prevent implementation of violence against children and women within the family," the draft article said.