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A press conference was held with the participation of Diyarbakır Bar Association Children’s Rights Center and regional bar association chairs at Judicial Assistance building on November 20, Children’s Rights Day.
Making the report concerning the right violations against the children public, Diyarbakır Bar Association Commission of Children’s Rights member Asiye Demir said, “Like each year, this year as well we’ve had to underline what a cruel world the children have to live in, how vulnerable they are against the threats posed by even their closest ones, in short how difficult to be a child in Turkey and the world”.
700% Increase in sexual abuse cases
Telling that cases of sexual abuse against children have increase by 700% for over the last 10 years, Demir said that 15,051 suits were filed over sexual abuse of juvenile in 2016. Demir said:
“Considering that 15-20% of the sexual abuse cases were brought to the judicial authorities, it is obvious how dire the picture is. In addition to this dire picture, the really worrying thing is that most of the unregistered sexual abuse cases, which occur under the roof of state protection, have been swept under the carpet by again the state authority”.
56 children died in occupational homicides in one year
Telling that the number of juvenile workers has increased to 708 thousand, according to the data by Turkish Statistical Institute in 2016, 56 children lost their lives in the occupational homicides.
Used as cheap labor, children have been exploited under heavy working conditions. The number of children aged between 15-17 who were forced to work increased from 601 thousand in 2012 to 709 thousand in 2016. (PT/TK)
