Nalin Öztekin

[email protected]

bianet reporter (September 2025). Began her journalism career in 2013 while studying at Marmara University Faculty of Communication. Produced news stories for various platforms on...

bianet reporter (September 2025). Began her journalism career in 2013 while studying at Marmara University Faculty of Communication. Produced news stories for various platforms on human rights, women's achievements, children's rights, LGBTI+ rights, and refugees. In addition to reporting, she hosted television programs and news bulletins, and moderated live broadcasts. As part of her radio journey, she created and hosted a children's program called “Elma Şekeri” (Candy Apple). Beyond journalism, she is interested in gastronomy and children's literature. Deeply loves her family, her plants, her cats Şapşik and Memo, and her dog Bitter.

Court denies release of 16-year-old girl detained over hair-braiding protest posts

Court denies release of 16-year-old girl detained over hair-braiding protest posts

The girl who joined the hair braiding protests over the desecration of a Kurdish woman fighter's body in Syria was strip searched upon entering the prison.

Education Ministry instructs schools to organize Ramadan events

Education Ministry instructs schools to organize Ramadan events

“The goal here is to reframe education and turn schools into spaces that implement the government’s policy of values. This approach systematically undermines the principles of public and secular education," says a union representative.

11 February 2026

Police throw child to the ground during Rojava protest in Mardin

Police throw child to the ground during Rojava protest in Mardin

Kurdish-populated border towns in Turkey have become flashpoints for protests against the Syrian interim government’s offensive targeting Kurdish-controlled areas.

28 January 2026

'Everyone looks at us from the outside, they should see from the inside too'

CILDREN PUSHED INTO CRIME SPEAK OUT

'Everyone looks at us from the outside, they should see from the inside too'

Murat, who spent his childhood in prison, spoke about what it means to be “pushed into crime,” the lack of preventive and protective mechanisms, and how child-centered support changed his life.

13 January 2026

‘There is no state inside prison, I saw people setting each other on fire’

‘There is no state inside prison, I saw people setting each other on fire’

Burak, who spent his childhood in state care dormitories and a closed prison, shared what it means to be "pushed into crime" through his own story. He answered our questions about what children and young people experience behind the walls of closed prisons.

23 December 2025

Parliament intern recounts abuse: 'You will tell no one'

Parliament intern recounts abuse: 'You will tell no one'

The child subjected to abuse by a staff member while interning in the parliament said that she was threatened and intimidated into not sharing the issue with her family.

11 December 2025

Turkey's vocational education system draws scrutiny amid child worker deaths

Turkey's vocational education system draws scrutiny amid child worker deaths

Nearly one in every ten individuals in the 15–17 age group in Turkey is enrolled in a Vocational Education Center, where they work for four days a week and attend school one day.

8 December 2025

Over 800,000 children in Turkey are out of education, report finds

Over 800,000 children in Turkey are out of education, report finds

Among children aged 15–17, 24.9%, or one in four, are participating in the labor force.

27 November 2025

Nearly 30,000 lawyers appointed in child abuse cases in İstanbul over five years, report reveals

WORLD CHILDREN'S DAY

Nearly 30,000 lawyers appointed in child abuse cases in İstanbul over five years, report reveals

The İstanbul Bar Association Child Rights Center has released a report detailing how children are involved in the justice system and the areas in which they are represented by lawyers.

20 November 2025

'Businesses employ two children in place of one adult at same cost'

THREE CHILD WORKERS KILLED IN A WEEK

'Businesses employ two children in place of one adult at same cost'

Recent child worker deaths reflect government policies that push children into low-wage labor to sustain small and mid-sized businesses, argues Kansu Yıldırım from the Health and Safety Labor Watch.

23 October 2025

Invisible in data, embedded in workforce: Refugee child workers in Turkey

Invisible in data, embedded in workforce: Refugee child workers in Turkey

“This system is built on the bodies of children who die in workplace murders. Refugee child workers are the ones who don’t even make it to the display window of this structure," says author Özgür Hüseyin Akış.

25 September 2025

Tensions rise at parliament’s ‘peace’ committee as pro-Kurdish MPs walk out

Tensions rise at parliament’s ‘peace’ committee as pro-Kurdish MPs walk out

“This is a peace table, not a place for reigniting past traumas or indulging in a kind of murder pornography,” said DEM Party's Danış-Beştaş after a Kurdish-Islamist invitee’s speech that prompted a backlash from DEM members.

18 September 2025

Turkey’s NEET rate more than twice OECD average, report reveals

Turkey’s NEET rate more than twice OECD average, report reveals

Turkey's rate of people aged 18–24 who are not in education, employment, or training stands at 31.3%, compared to the OECD average of 14.1%.

16 September 2025