A dad with two wives and 19 children has named his latest baby Yeter – which means “enough”.
Zeher Gezer, who lives in the city of Diyarbakir in the south-eastern Turkish province, fathered 19 children with his two wives only.
He says he and his wives love their family but it is a struggle to make ends meet, and now with the coronavirus pandemic he’s been unable to find work and is even struggling to feed his family.
In Turkey, polygamy is illegal but it is possible to get round it by only marrying a second wife religiously, but not registering it as a legal marriage.
The children’s mothers, Dilber and Ikramiye Gezer, both say they are happy with the arrangement, although, they admit that they did not get along at first but are now like siblings and even support each other in the crowded house.
Zeher’s first wife Dilber, mother of 10 children, said: “At first I was jealous of his newly-married wife and even a little sad, but now we are like sisters.
“She has children and so do I. Her children are mine and mine are hers.”
Zeher said he had hoped to provide for his family himself, but lost his job because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
He added: “If I knew this was going to happen, I would not have had so many kids.”
The 19 children, who often have to go to bed without eating, are hoping that the local authorities will extend a helping hand.
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