DIYARBAKIR, Turkey — Rojda was 13 when she was raped two years ago by a neighbor in this hardscrabble Kurdish province. In order to "cleanse" her honor, she was forced to marry her attacker in an unofficial Islamic-style ceremony. He later was convicted of raping a 7-year-old boy and has been imprisoned.
But Rojda's troubles were far from over, according to an account of her ordeal provided by her family and attorneys. She allegedly was raped again in March by her father-in-law, who she said demanded she prostitute herself to earn her keep. When Rojda refused, the relatives and attorneys charge, a group of men held her down and sliced off her nose.
Police raided their home after being tipped off by neighbors, who heard her cries. The men were briefly detained, then set free -- though they have since been rearrested.
Rojda's story is not unusual: Human rights groups and Turkish officials say violence against women is widespread in Turkey, though statistics are hard to come by because so many attacks go unreported. They blame the violence on poverty, a lack of education and the patriarchal structure prevalent in much of Turkish society.
As this nation seeks to become the European Union's first predominantly Muslim member, its Islam-rooted government has teamed up with the EU and other international groups to combat abuses through a series of nationwide projects and campaigns.
Their efforts are evident here in Diyarbakir, where the bar association is training local administrators to understand and implement new laws that, among other things, broaden women's rights and stiffen penalties for their abusers. The $500,000 project is being funded by the EU.
"We have trained 700 officials over the past year; awareness is growing," association President Sezgin Tanrikulu said last week. One such trainee learned of Rojda's plight soon after her alleged attackers were initially freed. He took her to Tanrikulu, complaining that justice had not been served.
Rojda, a childlike figure with enormous dark eyes set above her disfigured nose, looked terrified, recalled Tanrikulu. "We pressed fresh charges on her behalf, and the men were rearrested," he said.
Her mother, Serife, who lives in a muddy tent on the outskirts of the nearby town of Cinar, said that Rojda "was my prettiest girl" before the attack. Serife, who carried a sickly child -- her 10th -- from a pouch strapped to her back, said she would "not find peace" until her daughter was avenged.
