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Child Rights in Türkiye: Prison Numbers Skyrocket

Children Prisons

As the 2026 National Sovereignty and Children’s Day celebrations conclude, new reports from human rights organizations paint a grim picture of the reality for children in Türkiye. Reports from the FİSA Child Rights Center and CİSST (Civil Society in the Penal System) reveal that 2025 was a year marked by systemic failures in child protection, leading to record-high deaths and incarcerations.

A Lost Generation Behind Bars

The most alarming statistic from the April 2026 data is the surge in child prisoners. Over the last decade, the number of children held in penal institutions has increased by 120%.

  • The Numbers: As of early 2026, there are 4,524 children in prison.

    • 3,264 are pretrial detainees (awaiting trial).

    • 1,260 are convicted prisoners.

  • Mothers and Infants: Approximately 891 children aged 0–6 are currently living in prison cells alongside their incarcerated mothers.

  • Growth Trend: Experts note that prison capacity is being stretched, with the occupancy rate reaching nearly 132% as of January 2026.

2025: A Year of Preventable Loss

The FİSA Child Rights Center report, “The Right to Life for Children in Türkiye 2025,” details the tragic scale of preventable deaths.

  • Total Deaths: At least 892 children died in 2025 due to preventable causes.

  • Public Negligence: 103 deaths occurred within public institutions or due to the negligence of public officials.

  • Policy Failure: 789 deaths were attributed to a lack of protective and preventive state policies regarding issues like individual armament, unsafe infrastructure, and violence.

  • Top Locations: The highest numbers of child deaths were recorded in Şanlıurfa (74), Istanbul (57), and Bolu (40).

The Toll of Child Labor and MESEM

Child labor remains a “bleeding wound” in the Turkish economy, with 2025 seeing the highest number of child worker deaths ever recorded by monitoring groups.

Workplace Fatalities in 2025:

  • Total Deaths: At least 95 children (other reports suggest 94) died while working.

  • Sector Breakdown:

    • Agriculture: 31 deaths (many were seasonal workers).

    • Industry: 27 deaths.

    • MESEM (Vocational Education Centers): At least 6 students died while working as “apprentices” in industrial settings. Since September 2023, the total number of deaths under the MESEM scheme has reached 18.

  • Age Demographics: Tragically, 26 of the children who died while working were under the age of 14.

Expert Perspective: “Not Isolated Incidents”

Human rights advocates emphasize that these figures represent a systemic crisis rather than a series of unfortunate events. The FİSA report underscores that school violence (seen recently in Urfa and Maraş) and “workplace accidents” are the result of policies that prioritize cheap labor and security-oriented governance over the actual well-being and protection of the child.

Source: karar

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