Parliamentary Question About Child Labor on World Children’s Day

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Today is November 20 World Children's Day, which marks the 30th year since United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of the Child was adopted by the UN General Assembly.

On this occasion, Republican People's Party (CHP) Adana MP Ayhan Barut has submitted a Parliamentary question regarding child labor.

Calling on the Parliament to take action to protect children and solve their problems ranging from education to healthcare and nutrition, Barut has especially raised concerns over child labor. The MP has emphasized that "a just and safe world should be created for children" and said, "Don't destroy the future of children who are the guarantees for our future."

'Governments obliged to protect children's rights'

Indicating that "children are one of the most vulnerable social groups", Ayhan Barut has underlined that children are affected by negative public incidents, wars and violation of rights the most.

"Though child abuse comes to mind first when it comes to violations of rights suffered by children, child labor, which is gradually increasing in Turkey, cannot be overlooked", the MP has further emphasized.

Submitting his Parliamentary question to the Speaker's Office to be responded by Minister of Labor, Social Services and Family Zehra Zümrüt Selçuk, Ayhan Barut has shared the following information:

"Employed or forced to work in almost all sectors such as industry, agriculture and textile, children are mistreated because laws are not enforced or because they are exploited.

"These children cannot benefit from educational opportunities, either, and their entry into work life has a negative impact on their development.

"Governments are obliged to protect children's rights and children not only by laws, but also by policies and practices. However, the rates of child labor are quite high in developing or underdeveloped countries like Turkey."

'What steps will be taken to reduce child labor?'

Within this frame, CHP Adana MP Ayhan Barut has asked Minister Selçuk a series of questions, including the following:

• How many children under the age of 18 are formally and informally employed in Turkey? How many of them are not citizens of Turkey? What is their distribution by age?
• What steps will be taken to prevent child labor and to reduce the number of child workers? Are you currently working on this issue?
• How many people under the age of 18 lost their lives in occupational homicides between the years of 2015 and 2019. What is their distribution by sector and region?
• What is the rate of participation in education among school-age children? What is their distribution by age?
• How many businesses informally employing children were given administrative and financial fines between 2015 and 2019? What is the total amount of fines imposed on these businesses? Are there any businesses closed in 2015-2019 because they employed children?

(AS/SD)