Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Turkish counterpart on reports of that country bringing forward legislative proposals that would grant an amnesty to rapists that married their victim.

The reporting of the proposed bill is deeply concerning. We strongly support the rights of women in Turkey and encourage the Turkish authorities to safeguard their welfare and respect their human rights and have raised our concerns over child marriage with the Turkish authorities. Our Embassy in Ankara provides project support to a number of Turkish civil society organisations working in the area of fundamental freedoms. Currently in the financial year 2019/20 we are funding a range of projects including women's and minority rights. We will continue to monitor the situation in Turkey and to encourage the government to protect fundamental rights.