A new report by the İstanbul Bar Association's Child Rights Center reveals that over 29,000 lawyers were appointed between 2020 and 2025 in cases involving child sexual abuse across the city.
Published to mark Universal Children’s Day on Nov 20, the report analyzes five years of data on lawyer appointments made under Turkey’s Criminal Procedure Code (CMK) for children who are either victims or accused of crimes. The findings highlight the scale of legal representation in child-related cases, particularly those involving sexual offenses.
Majority of cases related to sexual abuse
The report notes that sexual abuse of children accounted for the highest number of legal appointments among all crime categories. Out of a total of 29,220 lawyer assignments made in the five-year period, the majority were for children identified as victims of sexual abuse.
In total, 111,419 children were assigned lawyers during the police stage across various types of crimes. Of these, 52.91% were girls and the remainder were boys. During the investigation phase alone, 3,657 children were appointed lawyers, 86.36% of whom were girls. Among the girls assigned a lawyer in child molestation cases, 34.34% were aged between 15 and 18.
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The report also details the legal support provided to children accused of crimes. Between 2020 and 2025, lawyers were appointed for 246,576 children in this category. The highest number of appointments came in 2022, with 51,414 cases, nearly a quarter of which involved children aged 15–18 during the police stage.
The most common offense leading to the appointment of legal counsel for accused minors was theft, followed by intentional injury, robbery, drug production and trafficking, drug use and possession, fraud, and intentional homicide. Lawyer appointments in intentional homicide cases accounted for only 1.07% during the investigation phase and 0.52% during the prosecution phase.
‘All children need equal access to support systems’
The report highlights the need for comprehensive legal and psychological support for both child victims and those drawn into crime. It points out that the prominence of sexual abuse cases in lawyer assignments signals the continued visibility of such crimes in the justice system.
Gender-based analysis revealed that vulnerability is not limited to one group, and all children require equal access to legal and protective mechanisms. The findings stress the importance of strengthening child-friendly justice standards and ensuring that legal procedures do not result in secondary victimization.
In line with Turkey’s obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the report calls for structural reforms in several key areas, including:
Strengthening mechanisms for early detection, reporting, and referral
Increasing social services capacity for at-risk children
Ensuring child-friendly procedures in justice access
Improving standards for interviews, evidence collection, and process management
Expanding accessible, specialized, and sustainable psychosocial support services
Impact of the pandemic
The report attributes the spike in legal representation for accused children in 2022 to the aftereffects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted child protection systems. It argues that the increase illustrates the urgent need to strengthen these systems during times of crisis.
The findings also indicate that children in the 12–18 age range are most frequently in contact with the justice system, with a significant concentration in the 15–18 age group. Theft and assault made up more than half of the total lawyer assignments for accused children. This, the report suggests, reflects broader socio-economic and environmental conditions, not just individual behavior.
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Towards a child-focused justice system
The report emphasizes that children’s encounters with the justice system often pose risks of rights violations. It advocates for not only legal representation but also broader access to social, psychological, and institutional support mechanisms.
In conclusion, the report recommends the establishment of a strengthened, interdisciplinary, and evidence-based child justice system centered on children’s rights. It notes that preventing child victimization and reducing juvenile involvement in crime requires more than improved legal procedures. It also demands coordinated, comprehensive responses across education, social services, healthcare, local governments, and community-based mechanisms. (NÖ/VK)
