A survey conducted with 1,300 young people across Turkey examined in depth the living conditions, educational status, level of knowledge about sexual and reproductive health, and attitudes toward child marriage among young people aged 15–24.
Of the young people interviewed as part of the Turkey Youth Survey 2023 (TGA-2023), 41% were male and 59% were female. Fifty-eight percent of the young people were in the 15-19 age group, while 42% were in the 20-24 age group.
The quantitative data from the study, conducted in collaboration between Hacettepe University's Institute of Population Studies and UNFPA, was presented in two separate reports: “Sexual and Reproductive Health Among Young People & Child, Early, and Forced Marriages” while the qualitative data was presented in a separate report titled “Child, Early, and Forced Marriages from the Perspective of Young People.”
Knowledge about adolescence and sexual health is insufficient among young people
One of the prominent findings of the study was that young people, both women and men, do not have a high level of knowledge about the physical, mental, and sexual changes that occur during adolescence.
The lack of knowledge about adolescence is even more pronounced among young people aged 15-19 living in rural areas, with low levels of education, and in poor households. Young people living in cities and in the west have significantly higher knowledge of reproductive organs than young people living in rural areas and in the east.
According to the report, 63% of young people know about the female reproductive organ, the vagina; 41% know about the ovaries; and 19% know about the uterus. The situation is even more interesting when it comes to male reproductive organs, with 21% of young people stating that they do not know any male reproductive organs.
Young people access sexual health information online, but do not discuss it with their relatives
64% of young people access information about reproductive health, sexual health, and family planning online, while only 19% discuss these topics with a relative or another person. This rate rises to 23% among young women and falls to 15% among young men.
One of the most striking findings in this section of the study is that only 3% of young people seek out a healthcare facility to obtain any method of preventing pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections.
They are unaware of sexually transmitted diseases and cannot access the HPV vaccine
Knowledge of any method of preventing pregnancy is widespread among young people. According to the study, this rate is 95%. The rate of those who know about emergency contraception is 63%.
According to the study, 53% of young people have heard of any sexually transmitted infections (STIs). In the 2007 TGA study, this rate was 84%. In the 2023 study, 26% of women and 33% of men could not name any infections. Additionally, young people who have heard of STIs do not have sufficient knowledge about their symptoms.
The rate of HPV vaccination among young people is also very low. According to the report, only 2% have received the HPV vaccine. 53% say they would get the HPV vaccine if it were free.
Menstrual injustice persists
It was found that 19% of young women do not have enough menstrual products to meet their needs; 12% do not have enough menstrual products to change as often as they would like; and 17% are concerned that they will not be able to obtain more products if they run out.
One in four young women marries at a young age
According to the study, 97.7% of young men aged 15-24 have never been married, while 82.1% of young women have never been married. Similarly, 17% of young women are married, compared to 1.9% of young men. The rate of divorce and separation is low in this age group.
The correlation between education level and marriage trends is also noteworthy. Among those with a middle school education or less, the rate of those who have never married (73.2%) is the lowest compared to other sub-population groups.
Another noteworthy finding in the report is the continued practice of dowry payments. Dowry is paid in approximately one-third (31%) of marriages, while 33% are arranged among relatives.
In 82% of marriages, the decision to marry was made by the couple themselves; in 12% of cases, it was made by the families, and in 5% of cases, it was through elopement or abduction. The average age of first marriage for young women is 19, and more than a quarter (27%) of marriages take place during childhood.
Family dynamics play a decisive role in forced marriages
The qualitative part of the study also collected data on the views, perceptions, and experiences of young women and men regarding child, early, and forced marriages.
According to the findings, the most striking factor leading children to marriage is that they do not feel free and comfortable at home, do not receive enough love, and especially that their fathers are indifferent and unloving towards them and exert pressure on them.
Witnessing or being subjected to violence at home is also perceived as an escape from these problems and a solution. Families may also marry off their daughters to “protect” them and alleviate concerns about honor.
Marriage is also seen as a method of rehabilitating young men with problems such as drug addiction. Similar strategies can also be applied to individuals with disabilities.
Insecurity and bullying in education trigger early marriage
One of the important issues raised by young people in the interviews was that schools offer limited opportunities to create new opportunities or encourage creativity. Limited communication between teachers and students, bullying, violence, and harassment can lead to school dropouts. Children whose social circles are limited to family, school, and relatives may perceive marriage as a way to escape these limited circles.
Child marriages often force girls into responsibilities they are not ready for, while reinforcing gender-based division of labor. Girls have limited influence in decision-making, while boys bear the burden of supporting the family.
Gender inequality and social norms
Research has shown that society's approach to sexuality also plays a role in influencing child marriages. The inability to discuss topics such as adolescence, sexual health, and reproductive health deepens the social pressures and gender inequalities that fuel child marriages.
While marriage is seen as the fastest path to adulthood, marital status can provide young people with social acceptance and respect. Young people who lack respect and attention in their families, schools, or social circles can find approval and status through marriage, especially when they take on parental roles.
So what is the solution?
The policy recommendations of the study state that in order to eliminate early and forced marriages among children and protect children's rights, this issue must first be recognized as a social problem, strategies must be developed to prevent it, and public awareness of the consequences of these marriages must be raised:
- Policies and strategies that ensure gender equality must be implemented to prevent child marriages and births.
- Solutions must be developed that eliminate the need for unwanted pregnancies, emergency contraception, and voluntary termination of pregnancy. In this context, CSÜS services for married and unmarried young people should be made more widely available within public institutions and organizations.
- Young people's access to modern contraceptive methods should be facilitated, regulations should be put in place to meet unmet needs, and misinformation on this subject should be corrected as a matter of urgency through various information, education, and communication tools.
- Solutions should be developed to expand the opportunities for healthcare personnel, especially doctors, to meet with young people through online or individual counseling systems on SRHR issues. In addition, considering that 53% of young people stated that they would get the HPV vaccine if it were free,
- access to this service should be facilitated.
- Between 12% and 19% of young women in Turkey experience period poverty. In this context, policies and strategies should be developed to provide free sanitary pads to young women in need. The disadvantaged position of young people living in rural areas, in the Eastern Region, with low levels of education, or in poor households must be eliminated, and policies aimed at equalizing their position in these areas must be implemented.
- The Ministry of Health and the Ministry of National Education must actively collaborate to incorporate information on adolescent health and reproductive health into the curriculum in an age-appropriate manner.