Sole female neighborhood head in Diyarbakır protects dozens of girls from child marriage
The sole female neighborhood head (mukhtar) in the southeastern Turkish province of Diyarbakır, Dilek Demir, who herself married at 14, has saved 40 girls from being childhood brides over the course of her tenure. She hung a “complaint box” outside her office where young women could drop letters saying they were being forced into marriage.
Duvar English
Dilek Demir, the sole female neighborhood head (mukhtar) in the southeastern Turkish province of Diyarbakır, has saved 40 girls from underage marriage over the course of her time in office. The 49-year-old mother of four, herself forced into marriage at 14, hung an anonymous "complaint box" outside of her office where young women could submit letters saying they were being forced to be child brides or otherwise mistreated.