Mamihan Hlbin Zidan

News Center_Serious discussions have been taking place in Turkey’s public and parliamentary spheres since the end of 2025 regarding children involoed in crime. The Ministry of Justice intends to submit a new draft law to Parliament concerning children implicated in criminal acts.

Turkey’s new Minister of Justic stated thet the definitionof “ will be reconsidered,and they aim to change the minimum age and the penalty system. The regulations to be issued within the framework of the 12th Judicial Package include lowering the minimum age from 12 years and increasing the judge’s discretionary authority in decision-making.

Althoug the main objective of this project appears to be "increasing penalties for adults who incite children to commit crimes or use them within the hierarchy of criminal organizations," the regulation entails numerous risks.

An Increase of 17.47% Over 10 Years

According to official data, the number of children involved in crime reached 158,560 in 2015, 146,737 in 2016, 145,210 in 2017, 157,096 in 2018, and 161,378 in 2019.

In 2021, the number of children involved in crime was 134,464, an increase of 31% compared to the previous year, reaching 176,128 in 2022 and 177,174 in 2023. The number peaked in 2024, reaching 188,926, then decreased by 1.4% to 186,256 in 2025.

Statistics indicate that the number of children involved in crime has increased by 17.47% over 10 years. During the period from 2015 to 2025, child rights activists and lawyers draw attention to the risks of this trend for children and society.

In this report from our agency, female lawyers, activists, sociologists, and politicians working in the field of child rights present their assessments.

Lawyer Dilan Koç: There is Misleading Information for the Public

Lawyer Dilan Koç, from the Mardin Bar Association, criticized the abundance of television programs addressing juvenile cases that host non-specialist guests, thereby reinforcing a negative image of children in society through their erroneous interpretations.

She referred to the Justice Minister's statement regarding lowering the age of criminal responsibility for children from 12: "While making this statement, he cited European countries as an example, mentioning that the age of criminal responsibility in Europe is lowered to 10. However, the age of criminal responsibility in European countries is not 10. In this sense, there is misleading information."

The age of criminal responsibility varies among European countries: England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Switzerland (10 years); France and Poland (13 years).

Dilan Koç explained that "while the average age of criminal responsibility in Europe is 14, it is 12 in Turkey. In England, it is 10, based on old law. So, the reference the new Justice Minister seeks to drag us towards is the old law. Due to old beliefs and accepting the idea that children are born with sins, England set this age at the minimum. However, even in England, a 10-year-old child is not imprisoned immediately upon committing a crime; there are practices aimed at rehabilitation. But this situation does not apply in Turkey."

"Tougher Penalties Are Not a Deterrent"

Dilan Koç explained that she does not consider increasing judges' powers in the new regulation as "positive," pointing out that "increasing judges' powers in a sensitive matter like juvenile cases is unacceptable. We see that regulating these matters with criminal laws and abandoning existing liberal and democratic laws is not a sound practice. We do not believe this will be a deterrent. When a child commits a crime, harsh punishment does not deter them. Children cannot think about the long-term consequences of their crime, or its repercussions, as adults do."

Dilan Koç stressed the necessity of rescuing children through early intervention without involving them in the judicial system, instead of tightening penalties: "When children are imprisoned after committing a crime, they come into contact with adults and other children in their cells. They also witness more types of crimes, and due to being with criminal figures, the likelihood of them committing crimes increases."

Closure of Juvenile Courts

She affirmed that juvenile courts play a significant role in prosecuting children: "The presence of qualified, educated individuals in direct contact with children will prevent their return to the criminal justice system. For example, while there was a juvenile court in Mardin before July 15th, the need for it arose after that date due to the arrest of many judges and prosecutors, and the first institution to be closed was the juvenile court. Although the judge there had received specialized training and was an expert in this field, the court was closed, and children began to be tried in the same courts as adults, under the name 'Juvenile Court'."

She warned against this approach: "Judges, prosecutors, lawyers, and law enforcement officers also need to receive training on this matter." Contrary to the Justice Minister's statement, Dilan Koç affirmed that the age of 12 is too low for prosecution and should be raised: "We believe that children aged 12 to 15 should be subject to rehabilitation programs for the first time before being entered into this system."

Legitimate Fears Among Kurds

Dilan Koç sees that Kurds have legitimate fears regarding criminal responsibility laws: "Unfortunately, we see in every situation that Kurds are the ones exploited, that they are the most affected group. We witnessed this in the July 15th coup attempt, in which Kurds had no role; Kurdish institutions, associations, teachers, and civil servants were the most affected. For this reason, it is completely justified for us to have this concern about why we insist on the concept of criminal responsibility."

She added, "Youth and children were targeted during the Rojava protests, and many were detained. In this context, we believe there will be more attacks when the age of criminal responsibility is lowered," referring to the Justice Minister's statement that criminal organizations exploiting children in illegal activities will be punished, saying: "If these children are being lured into crime by some entity, instead of punishing them, efforts should be made to remove them from this system, improve their social conditions, and investigate the reasons why children idolize these criminal organizations. However, the focus is instead on punishing children. We believe this will harm society as a whole."

Özgür Aktunç: Crime Among Children is a Mirror of the Weakness of the Social State

For her part, sociologist Özgür Aktunç also focused in her assessment on children's rights and the reasons behind children's involvement in crime, explaining that children's involvement in crime is a structural problem closely linked to the capacity of the social state, the child rights system, and institutional coordination.

She said, "In Turkey specifically, the exacerbation of economic fragility in recent years, the weakening of institutions in the field of social policy, and the decline of the rights-based approach have made this phenomenon more visible and widespread. A new generation of children is growing up amidst digitalization, economic insecurity, spatial inequality, and feelings of hopelessness about the future. With the weakening role of the family and school in protecting children, children turn to streets and peer groups to meet their need for belonging, increasing their risk of exposure to environments where criminal behaviors are considered normal."

"A Permanent Solution Can Be Reached Through a Comprehensive, Child-Centered System"

Speaking about the operational and social obstacles to implementing current child protection policies, she said: "Protection services are often implemented with a focus on paperwork and bureaucracy; closed family environments, poverty, and conditions of violence weaken rehabilitation efforts, and after intervention, the child is often forced to return to the same dangerous environment. Therefore, the system mostly works reactively; early warning and prevention mechanisms are weak in managing this multi-level process. In particular, the capacity of local governments, which should play a vital role in the child protection system, to provide services to children and youth shows serious disparities between provinces. Community monitoring units and youth units are not widespread enough; the quality of services provided is insufficient in most places."

Finally, she affirmed that the solution lies not in new legislative regulations, but in strengthening existing institutional structures, increasing the capacity to provide preventive social services, and developing a policy and administrative approach focused on children's rights. A lasting outcome can only be achieved through a comprehensive, coordinated, and child-centered system.

Activist Muqaddas Alatash: Children Are Treated as Adults in Political ‘Crimes’

Activits in the field of child rights,Muqaddas Alatash,pointed out that trying children as adults could lead to new crises: “We Know that children were treated this way in political ‘crimes’.” She added,” This was a state policy, and it was applied to children who were politically convicted. Now, another attempt is being made. These discussios contradict the spirit of the juvenile justice system and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. While a

child-focused discussion is taking place,it is also necessary to discuss:’Under what circumstances does a child commit a crime?”

"Responsibility is Shifted Away from the State, and the Consequences Are Discussed"

The age of substance abuse is gradually decreasing. A child who gets involved with street gangs being drawn into crime is linked to institutional, not individual, failure in protection. Responsibility is shifted away from the state, and the consequences are discussed. If the cause is not addressed, dealing with the consequences will never end nor lead to a solution. Social service mechanisms are not functioning properly, there are no support programs for youth, and school dropout rates are rapidly increasing. In the face of this situation, tightening penalties will not be a solution. With this, Muqaddas Alatash concluded her briefing on the subject.

Similarly, Beritan Güneş, Member of Parliament for the city of Mardin representing the People's Equality and Democracy Party, stated that "tightening penalties does not contribute to reducing crime rates among children. In fact, because this causal relationship cannot be proven, the Beijing Rules define children as 'persons who must be treated differently from adults'."

She added, "Children's perspective on crime differs from that of adults. For this reason, imprisonment and tightening penalties are among the last options for preventing crime among children. This also applies to international conventions and child protection systems."