‘Police officers and Imams need to be educated’

 Anne Brigette Albrectsen, representative of The United Nations Population Fund, stated that the police and religious leaders do not do enough to prevent love-crimes. She said that “these civil servants, who have a great impact on society, should re-examine the advice they give and the wording they use”. The United Nations Population Fund report on love-crimes –which never seem to leave the Turkish agenda, reveals striking results. Albrectsen commented that ‘Some police officers, religious leaders and teachers give society the wrong messages when it comes to love-crimes’.

Imams say, ‘You Deserve it’

“It is very important that police officers and imams be educated in order to prevent murders of this kind. While the police may claim that they do not want to get involved and tell women to do what they like, imams preach that women deserve to be beaten if they do not obey their husbands. If you are paid by a state with a zero-tolerance policy regarding violence, if a life sentence exists in the Turkish Penal Code, then the imams and police officers need to alter the advice they give to people and the message they preach to society as a whole.

Girls with HIV

Sexual freedom is increasing in Turkey and taboos on pre-marital sexual intercourse are becoming a thing of the past, especially in modern sections of society. However, there is no improvement in sex education, so there is an increasing number of girls infected with the HIV virus.