MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The bill, which would allow the release of the people accused or jailed over child sex abuse crimes committed before November 11, 2016 in cases where the victim consented to the act and subsequently married the aggressor, had faced harsh criticism from opposition parties and sparked street protests in several major cities.
“These issues will be discussed at a [parliamentary] commission; if a proposal comes from them [the opposition], it will be developed. If not, we will fix the issue by taking the suggestions of NGOs, citizens, experts and academics. The place where problems get fixed is politics,” Yildirim said, as quoted by the Hurriyet Daily News newspaper.
Voting on the bill had been scheduled for Tuesday after being approved at an initial parliamentary reading on Thursday.
The government previously said the proposal aimed to address the problem of early marriages popular in some parts of the country, which may result in the older party being jailed. Critics said the bill would decriminalize rape and encourage taking child brides, with women broadly opposed to the law and stressing that young girls cannot give an informed consent.
