Turkey's Aksaray families struggle with soaring bride-price demands

In Aksaray, Turkey, migrant agricultural workers from Şanlıurfa's Siverek district are laboring in garlic fields under extreme heat while trying to meet the high "başlık parası" (bride price) required for marriage. Young men like 28‑year‑old Yakup Erdine say the bride price starts at about 600,000 lira and can rise to 2 million lira, a sum that would require two years of full‑time farm work for a low‑earning family. Fathers such as 53‑year‑old Hüseyin Erdine, who already has three adult sons, echo the same hardship, explaining that even after years of work they cannot afford the demand. Both speakers call for the abolition of the bride-price system, saying it threatens to prevent marriages and perpetuates poverty among migrant workers.