In Turkey, where significant numbers of Syrian and Afghan refugees reside, concerns have emerged regarding the capacity of the national child protection system to effectively respond to cases of refugee child marriage. This study investigates the systemic, operational and cultural challenges faced by child protection professionals in addressing this complex issue. Adopting a qualitative research design, data were collected through four focus group discussions involving 47 professionals and in-depth interviews with nine professionals. The thematic analysis using open and axial coding revealed three interrelated thematic areas: (1) Challenges related to the identification of child marriage: Cultural acceptance of child marriage (2) Challenges related to the assessment of child marriage and weaknesses in enforcement (3) Challenges related to residential care: Co-ordination, capacity building, interpreting services. These findings underscore both the sociocultural complexities and the structural deficiencies within Turkey’s child protection framework, highlighting the urgent need for culturally informed, system-wide interventions to enhance the protection of refugee children at risk of early marriage.
