At 13, Dilek Demir’s childhood was interrupted when she was dragged out of school and forced into marriage.
40 years later, the once-silenced woman has emerged as a strong voice in Turkey’s Diyarbakir, where she has helped over 40 girls from suffering a similar fate.
Known affectionately by her neighbours as “Muhtar Ana” (Mother Muhtar), her journey began when she divorced her husband, who subjected her to 16 years of abusive marriage.
Gained trust
Raising five children on her own, she gained her community’s trust and was elected Muradiye’s muhtar for three consecutive terms.
One of her earliest projects as the village chief is a small wooden “wish box”, which she mounted outside her office.
The anonymous letters slipped inside the wish box revealed stories of girls being forced into marriage.
Using the information, Demir collaborated with ministries and agencies to take action.
“Some 40 cases of forcibly married girls were reported anonymously by dropping written notes into that box,” she told Turkish newspaper daily Hurriyet. “We received information about 25 cases of sexually abused children.”
By 2021, she had assisted in the prevention of dozens of child marriages.
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Right to education
“The right to education should not be taken away from girls. This was a promise I made to myself,” she told Turkey’s Demiroren News Agency in an interview, adding that the girls that she had helped had already finished high school, with some of them already having jobs.
Her story was later turned into the documentary “Dilek Kutusu” (The Wish Box, which has screened in nearly 20 countries, raising awareness of her grassroots struggle on a global scale.
Demir’s advocacy, however, is also deeply personal. She quietly pursued her own unfinished education, finishing middle and high school via online learning while also assisting others.
Lifelong dream
This year, she fulfilled her lifelong dream of attending university by enrolling at Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University, majoring in Local Governments.
“They took off my school uniform and put a wedding dress on me,” Demir recalled. “Now, at 53, I am finally a university student. This is a dream come true.”
Her mission remains unchanged: no girl should be robbed of childhood, education, or freedom.
“Children must study,” she said. “My fight was for them. Now, I am also fighting for myself.”
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Hazel Camba 
Shameeka Voyiya 
Newsjustnews writers