Children are paying the price for the darkness

Politics Service

Exactly 106 years have passed since the establishment of the Turkish Grand National Assembly and the transition from theocratic absolutism to popular sovereignty. However, the gains of that historic break in 1920 have now been replaced by a dark one-man regime in which the Assembly has been rendered dysfunctional and all powers have been concentrated in the Palace.

The principle that “sovereignty belongs unconditionally to the nation” has now become nothing more than a nostalgic relic hanging on walls, existing only on paper. Even the most fundamental constitutional right of the people—the right to vote and be elected—is being brazenly usurped; municipalities elected by the people are being forcibly taken over by trustees, and the will of the people is being blatantly disregarded.

Whilst imperialists are redesigning the Middle East with colonial ambitions, they are presenting the “Ottoman System of Nations” as a role model to the Palace administration. Tom Barrack, the US Ambassador to Ankara and Special Representative for Syria, is imposing ‘monarchical’ forms of governance. The regime, having lost its legitimacy domestically, seeks ‘legitimacy’ abroad through the privileges it grants to the US and Trump. The Palace disregards independence and popular sovereignty in the name of consolidating the regime.

Yet it is the children—who should be the true owners of today—who are paying the heaviest price for this process in which popular sovereignty is being systematically dismantled. 23 April is no longer a celebration for millions of children in Turkey, but the name of a relentless struggle for survival. The bill for the deepening economic crisis and poverty policies is being footed directly by the children. Our children are being tested by hunger, with even a single free meal at school considered a luxury and their lunchboxes left empty; permanent developmental delays such as ‘stunting’ caused by malnutrition are snowballing into a public health crisis.

Meanwhile, the country faces the reality that secularism, public ownership and scientific rigour in education have effectively been abolished. The education system has been left at the mercy of political Islamist impositions and the protocols of sects and religious communities. This toxic climate, where free thought and equality have been eradicated, has stripped schools of their role as safe havens for children, effectively turning them into a cycle of violence. Just a few days ago, the massacre-like incidents that took place in schools in Urfa and Maraş on 14–15 April served as the most painful proof that this is not merely an isolated public order issue, but a systemic collapse that devalues and leaves children vulnerable.

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AT LEAST 852 CHILDREN HAVE DIED WHILE WORKING

The Workers’ Health and Safety Council (İSİG) has reported that at least 852 child workers have lost their lives whilst working since 2013.

In a statement issued by İSİG, it was noted that child labour is not a matter of choice, but that children in Turkey are being employed on a mass scale in line with economic policies that impoverish society, the dismantling of public education, and capital’s need for cheap labour.

The statement highlighted that this process is legitimised under the guise of ‘education’ through various mechanisms, notably the Vocational Training Centres (MESEM), and that children’s lives, health and futures are shaped according to the needs of capital; it drew attention to the fact that dozens of child workers die every year whilst working. The statement read: “The fact that 71 child workers died in 2024 and the number of child worker deaths is projected to reach 94 in 2025 summarises the state of child labour. As child worker deaths have been brought to light through collective efforts, a significant backlash has emerged since last year. The main initiatives through which this outcry has materialised are the Vocational Training Centres (MESEM) and, to a lesser extent, the Vocational and Technical Anatolian High Schools (MTAL).”

AROUND THREE MILLION CHILDREN ARE WORKING IN TURKEY

According to ISIG data:

• “In the agricultural sector, children are engaged in a wide variety of work forms, including seasonal workers, itinerant seasonal workers (the worst form of agricultural labour), field workers in their local area, shepherds, livestock farm workers, forestry workers, fishermen and farmers.

• In the construction sector; there are children working as apprentices or journeymen—such as plasterers, bricklayers and carpenters—who, despite their status, carry the same workload as adults and usually come with other family members or relatives.

• In the service sector; there are tens of thousands of child workers in every major street of every city, working as motorbike couriers—a role that has become particularly prevalent in recent years—in every shop within shopping centres, in sales or kitchens wherever food is sold, and on the streets in jobs such as shoe shining, street vending, car window cleaning and waste collection.

• In the industrial sector; in unlicensed workshops, in organised industrial zones (OSB) – which used to be concentrated in major cities but have now spread to all towns across Anatolia – tens of thousands of child workers, both registered and unregistered, are employed in the metal, leather, chemical and wood industries.

CHILD LABOUR IS A PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE

In the statement, it was noted that among the three million child workers, students working as apprentices—a group that has grown significantly in recent years—occupy a significant proportion. It was emphasised that these children are being turned into workers under the guise of integration into the education system within the industrial, construction and service sectors. The statement noted that child labour is a public health issue and concluded with the following points:

• Child labour must be banned. All practices that force children into the workforce at an early age must be brought to an end.

• Education must be restructured on a free and scientific basis; private schools must be nationalised. The conditions that force families to make their children work must be eliminated.

Note: This article is translated from the original article titled Karanlığın bedelini çocuklara ödettiler, published in BirGün newspaper on April 23, 2026. 

To read the full story from the source: BirGün