This study investigates the efficacy of creative drama as an intervention to enhance the recognition and enforcement of child rights among women subjected to early and coerced marriages. This research was conducted with twenty women from Bağcılar district, Istanbul, all under the age of 45, who had experienced forced marriages at a young age. The intervention consisted of a series of ten creative drama workshops, each lasting three hours, hosted at the Med Culture Center. The methodology involved initial data collection through in-depth interviews to capture participants' views on 'early marriage' and 'childhood.' Subsequently, these women engaged in drama-based activities focused on educating them about their rights as children. The outcomes of the workshops, analyzed through qualitative methods, suggest that the creative drama significantly increased awareness about child rights violations and contributed positively to the emotional, cognitive, and behavioral development of the participants. The workshops proved instrumental in deepening their understanding of essential child rights, including education, protection, health, justice, freedom of expression, leisure, and safe living conditions, promoting a comprehensive acknowledgment of their rights until the age of 18.
Creative drama, child rights, early marriage, forced marriage, empowerment, qualitative research