Ünzile (Song)

Ünzile is a song in Turkish pop music that addresses the themes of child marriage and violence against women, with lyrics by Aysel Gürel and music by Onno Tunç. The song was first performed in 1986 by Sezen Aksu and has since been interpreted by other artists such as Şebnem Ferah. Through its emotional and instructive language, the work has raised public awareness of a social issue.

The Story of the Work

The lyrics of the song are based on a real event witnessed by Aysel Gürel during a tour of Anatolia. During this journey, Gürel encountered a young girl who had been married at an early age. This experience inspired Gürel to write “Ünzile” to draw attention to the issue of child marriage.

In the song’s lyrics, Ünzile is portrayed as a character who was married at the age of eight and became a mother at twelve. The work explores how a girl is forced into adult roles during childhood, confronts pressure from family and society, and suffers the personal consequences of these circumstances.

Müjde Ar, describes the writing process as follows:

“I was on tour with my mother. The bus tire burst during the trip. The driver stopped us and said, ‘There’s a village nearby, let’s go there.’ At that moment, a village wedding was taking place. I saw Ünzile. I witnessed the wedding. My mother also had a camera and was taking pictures of us everywhere. My mother mingled with the wedding crowd, and a woman there told her, ‘This is Abbas’s daughter. They gave her for seven sheep. If the girl isn’t beautiful, she goes for two sheep here.’ After returning to the bus, my mother wrote ‘Ünzile’ right there on the bus. That’s what it really is.” ^【1】 

Themes and Social Critique

The work contains several critiques of social structures within the context of popular music:

• Child Marriage: The song emphasizes how early marriages end childhood and negatively affect the living conditions of girls.
• Women and Society: The song highlights themes of women’s social position, the gender-based pressures they face, and their resistance to these pressures.
• Legal and Social Responsibility: Aysel Gürel argued through this work that girls married at an early age should be under state protection. According to the artist, marriages before adulthood fall within the scope of child abuse.

Cultural Impact

Ünzile has since its release served as a reference point in discussions in Türkiye regarding women’s rights and child abuse. The song has brought issues of gender inequality and child marriage into public discourse and has become a subject of academic, artistic, and social study.