The 2024-2025 academic year commenced on September 9, as the Health and Safety Labor Watch (İSİG) released a report detailing the deaths of child laborers from the previous school year, spanning September 2023 to August 2024.
According to the report, at least 66 children who should have been in school tragically lost their lives while working. The breakdown of the fatalities is as follows:
- 24 children in agriculture
- 17 children in industry
- 13 children in construction
- 12 children in the service sector
Twenty-two of these children were between the ages of 6 and 14.
İSİG highlighted the ongoing issue of child labor in Turkey, particularly in agriculture, where 36% of all child labor deaths occurred last year. Although this is a decrease from the 55% recorded over the last decade, agriculture remains the sector with the highest child mortality rate.
Shift in child labor deaths from urban areas
The report observed a shift in child labor deaths from rural areas to urban centers, despite ongoing rural poverty. This urban shift is attributed to deepening urban poverty, state policies encouraging child labor, and the growth of organized industrial zones across Turkey.
The report noted, “Although rural poverty persists, increasing urban poverty, the rise of child labor, especially through Vocational Education Centers (MESEMs), and the expansion of OSBs have moved child labor deaths from rural areas to city centers and their outskirts."
In rural areas, the deaths of child laborers, often isolated from social life, have been rendered “invisible” by both the state and industry. However, child labor is now visible in city centers, shopping malls, streets, construction sites, and industrial areas. The report stressed the normalization of child labor through education and training programs, warning that these deaths are being hidden and the practice is becoming legitimized.
Legal framework on child labor
Turkish law defines individuals who are "14 years old but have not yet turned 15 and have completed primary education" as child workers, while those who "have turned 15 but are not yet 18" are defined as young workers.
Under Turkish law, employing children under 14 years of age is prohibited. The law also specifies different types of work and conditions for those aged 15, 16, and 17-18. For instance, a 15-year-old child worker may only be employed in light work that does not hinder their physical, mental, social, and moral development or interfere with their education.
Specific regulations outline the types of jobs that children can engage in, including picking fruits and vegetables, assisting in poultry farming, working as sales assistants in small businesses, and light office work. For teenagers aged 16 and above, jobs involving brick and tile production are permitted, though no child under 18 may be employed in hazardous industries such as construction, chemistry, or metalwork.
The Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) estimates that at least 720,000 children in Turkey—roughly 4.4% of the country’s child population—are working, despite laws prohibiting employment of children under 14. (VK)