The Father Of 19 Children Named His Newborn Baby 'Enough' Because There Is Already Too Much

JAKARTA - A father of two wives and 19 children named his newborn baby Yeter - which means 'enough'.

Zeher Gezer, who lives in the city of Diyarbakir in the southeastern Turkish province of the same name, has fathered 19 children with his two wives.

Even though he and his wife love their family, he says that it takes a struggle to make ends meet. With the COVID-19 pandemic, he doesn't have a job so it is difficult to feed his family.

In Turkey, polygamy is illegal but it is possible to overcome it by simply marrying a second wife religiously. But it doesn't register administratively.

A man who wishes to have more than one wife will marry in an Islamic, but not a civil registry office, then live together as husband and wife, while at the same time avoiding legal sanctions.

The children's mothers, Dilber and Ikramiye Gezer, both said they were happy with the arrangement even though they didn't get along at first. Now they are like siblings and even support each other in a busy house.

Zeher's first wife, Dilber, mother of 10, said: “At first I was jealous of his new wife and even a little sad, but now we are like brothers.

"He has children and I do too. Her children are mine and mine are her children. "

Financial difficulties meant this family often didn't have enough to eat. It also means that four girls and one of their sons cannot attend school. One of the daughters even had to quit school from grade 7 because there was no money.

Zeher said he hoped to support his own family, but lost his job due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

She added: "If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have had so many children."

The 19 children, who often have to sleep without eating, hoped local authorities would lend a helping hand.

Zeher said: “I appeal to the state, prime minister and president. We need them to protect us. We live in misery, if we don't get help right away, we could all starve to death. "

This case sparked heated discussion on social media. Netizens made racist references to the fact that the family is of Kurdish ethnicity.

There is hidden animosity between the Turkish state and the ethnic Kurds who make up 15-20 percent of Turkey's total population. Ethnic Kurds have been subjected to harsh treatment at the hands of Turkish authorities for generations.