A small Southern Turkish village of Uzumulu has not seen a marriage occur in 9 years. Up to 25 single men aged between 25-45 have come out into the streets in protest after women from the village have decided to marry men living in larger cities.

The men holding the signs are advocating that women should marry within their village. One of the signs was a message to President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan that the men will be able to have 5 children with their future wives, if they could get married. This is after the Turkish President made a statement during a speech that Turkish families should produce at least three children, reported by Hurriyet Daily News.

The last marriage in Uzumulu occurred 9 years ago when the population was at 400, since then the population of the village has decreased to 233 as the women fled to marry in cities, whilst the men stay to tend to their land as there is no financial problems where they live.