Early age marriages in the example of İhsan Raif Hanım and Nigar Hanım

Abstract

This study will examine the consequences of early marriages in the context of the marriages and literary identities of İhsan Raif Hanım and Nigâr Hanım, as well as how early marriages are represented in folk culture and how criticized in contemporary times. This evaluation will be carried out in light of Web of Science indexed publications, theses on the subject, and articles written on the internet. İhsan Raif Hanım did not have the right to choose her first husband, and was deceived and forced into marriage at the age of 13. At 27, she became a mother of three children and later separated from her husband. Nigâr Hanım married at the age of 13 and had an unhappy marriage. She had three children from this marriage, but did not find happiness with her husband and suffered from mental health issues. Nigâr Hanım’s memoir, Hayatımın Hikâyesi, reflects the troubled period of her marriage. İhsan Raif Hanım and Nigâr Hanım, being married off at a young age and later experiencing unhappy marriages, have secured an important place in our literary history by reflecting these experiences in their poetry. Every year, twelve million girls worldwide are married before the age of eighteen. Among married women aged 20-24, 20% were married as children. Early and forced marriages continue to be a societal issue and a violation of human rights. Supporting the education of girls and eliminating poverty and gender inequality will contribute to solving this issue.