A call for the implementation of new regulations to lower alimony for divorced men who complained of high fees fails to garner support in the government. A divorce lawyer filed a petition to the Family and Social Policies Ministry claiming affirmative action for women in divorce cases led to alimony payments far higher than their ex-husbands' income. He went on to claim that "marriages dropped" as men were discouraged by the high amount of alimony they were to pay in case of divorce. Lawyer Cahit Velibeyoğlu said it "destroyed family life" while the government was tasked with "protecting the family," and urged the government to revise the regulations. The ministry said in reply to the petition that the Justice Ministry was responsible for amendments to the laws on the matter while affirming a string of complaints over high fees it received from divorcing husbands. But it added that the Justice Ministry was "reluctant" to step back from its stance on lower alimony as it was determined to keep them high in line with existing civil law.