Deutsche Welle in Turkish reports about the issue of forced and second marriage of Syrian women in Turkey, a phenomenon which started to be widespread in Turkey. A website called “Syrian Women” is giving advice to Turkish men on how to find and marry Syrian women.

“Syrian women wanting to marry – what are Syrian women like? – how are Syrian women dressed?” The website is full of sexist stereotypes of women, who had to migrate from Syria Turkey:

“Syrian women are delicate beings like our women. The number of  young men who want to get married to Syrian women has increased and the desire of married men who want to be with Syrian women has increased as well. Since Syrian women do not set official marriage conditions, men can start living with them”.

The site also explains that the psychology of the Syrian women is broken due to war and that the marriage will be “beneficial” to them.  “You can also help these women heal themselves.”. Below this title, there are messages like “I am 30 years old, I want to marry to a Syrian lady,  She may have been married before” or “I want to marry a Syrian widow in middle age” written by men entering the website.

Gülseren Kaplan carrying out the work on behalf of the Şanlıurfa Women’s Center (KAMER) asserts that especially in rural areas polygamy is not a new issue and the number of men who marry Syrian women as second wives is increasing. “Syrian women have escaped from war. But some men think that ‘marriage is good to protect them and their honor.’ Married men who don’t have a child or who ‘only’ have a daughter, but not a son, are looking for second wives”.

An activist who supports women who have been subjected to violence in and around Şanlıurfa, claims that Turkish men threat their wives by saying that “I will marry a Syrian woman.” The women’s rights activist adds that: “In the past, rich men were getting married to second wives. Now there is no need to be rich. Men who are not in good economic condition can get married a second time.”

This is a summary of a Turkish article published at Deutsche Welle. Proceed to the article here…