A new report report by the Field Research Center (SAMER), covering the period from Jan 1 to Mar 31, 2026, laid out the picture of violence against children cases that appeared in the press during the first three months of the year.
According to the report, a total of 203 cases were reflected in the press over the three-month period. Suspicious deaths made up the highest share, followed by sexual abuse in second place.
The study includes reports compiled from Evrensel, bianet, Jin News, Mezopotamya Agency, Anıt Sayaç, T24, and numerous local media outlets. For that reason, the data in the report does not show the full scope of violence against children, but only the visible portion that was reported in the press.
According to the report, 42.4 percent of the cases were recorded in January, 40.9 percent in February, and 16.7 percent in March. In numerical terms, 86 cases were identified in January, 83 in February, and 34 in March. The data showed that violence against children was markedly concentrated in the first two months of the year.
Violence against girls more visible
Girls stood out in the gender distribution of victims. According to the report, 47.8 percent of the cases involved girls, 36.9 percent involved boys, and 15.3 percent involved children whose gender was unknown. In numerical terms, this distribution was recorded as 97 girls, 75 boys, and 31 cases of unknown gender.
However, the report also showed that this picture changes depending on the type of violence. Sexual abuse cases reached 41.2 percent among girls, while this rate was recorded at 8 percent among boys. By contrast, among boys, suspicious death reached 48 percent, battery/injury 25.3 percent, and murder 16 percent.
The most concentrated age group was 15-17
The highest rate of incidents was seen in the 15-17 age group. According to the report, 35 percent of the cases fell within this age range. This was followed by children whose age was unknown at 25.6 percent, the 6-11 age group at 16.3 percent, the 2-5 age group at 8.9 percent, and the 12-14 age group, also at 8.9 percent. Although the 0-1 age group had the lowest rate at 5.4 percent, the report drew special attention to the presence of newborn cases within this group.
Suspicious death
One of the most striking findings in the report was the distribution by type of violence. According to the data, 30 percent of the cases were recorded as suspicious death, 23.6 percent as sexual abuse, 16.3 percent as battery/injury, 10.3 percent as murder, 10.3 percent as torture and ill-treatment, 7.9 percent as forced prostitution, and 1.5 percent as verbal and physical harassment. In numerical terms, the report included 61 cases of suspicious death, 48 of sexual abuse, 33 of battery/injury, 21 of murder, 21 of torture and ill-treatment, 16 of forced prostitution, and 3 of harassment.
The report also noted that the category of “sexual abuse” jointly covers cases described in the press as sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and sexual assault, while deaths caused by neglect were also evaluated under the category of “suspicious death.”
In most cases, the perpetrator is unknown
The data on the perpetrator profile was also striking. According to the report, the perpetrator was unknown in 45.8 percent of the cases. However, in incidents where the perpetrator could be identified, teachers stood out at 13.8 percent and law enforcement at 11.3 percent. They were followed by someone or some people known to the child at 5.9 percent, someone or some people unknown to the child at 5.4 percent, the biological father at 4.9 percent, and the victim’s circle of friends at 3 percent.
The report’s cross-analyses also showed that certain types of violence were concentrated among specific perpetrator groups. Accordingly, 95.2 percent of torture and ill-treatment cases were linked to law enforcement, while 56.3 percent of sexual abuse cases were associated with teachers. The same table showed that the biological father was particularly notable in murder cases.
The highest number of cases was in Kocaeli, Ankara, Şırnak, and İstanbul
In the city-based distribution, Kocaeli ranked first with 26 cases. It was followed by Ankara with 20, Şırnak with 19, and İstanbul with 17 cases. The report also said that 9 cases each were recorded in Diyarbakır and İzmir, 8 in Antalya, 7 each in Mardin and Urfa, 6 each in Adana, Antep, and Kayseri, and 5 in Hatay.
Peer violence
The study also examined under a separate heading the cases in which both the victim and the perpetrator were children. A significant portion of these cases was concentrated in the age 17 group, all of the victims were boys, and the incidents were largely grouped under murder and battery/injury. The report emphasized that these cases emerged particularly within circles of friends and peer relationships.
Violence not limited to the family
The report’s overall assessment shows that violence against children is not limited to family relationships, but also occurs in schools, security units, close social circles, and public spaces.
In particular, the fact that suspicious deaths rank first, the high rate of sexual abuse, and the prominence of teachers and law enforcement in cases where the perpetrator could be identified all point to the need for child protection policies to be addressed not only through punitive measures, but together with institutional oversight and preventive social policies. (NÖ/VK)
