182 children suffered from sexual abuse and 5 child labours lost their lives due to occupational murders in the first five months of 2017 in Turkey, according to the report prepared by the Education and Science Workers’ Union (Eğitim-Sen).
The Education and Science Workers’ Union’s report regarding sexism in education has revealed the reality of sexual abuse and child labor in Turkey once again: 182 children suffered from sexual abuse in the first five months of 2017, the statistical results reached by women organizations and the lawsuits submitted to courts have indicated, while 5 child labors lost their lives due to occupational murders in the same period.
In the report that draws attention to the policies of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the Ministry of National Education (MEB) legitimising the sexual abuse, the significance of carrying the gender mainstreaming into effect through all the regulations and practices in the participation of girls in education has been emphasised.
The report also says that the Ministry of National Education attempts to legitimise the traditional women’s roles with Islamic rules, while the curricula in education aimed at raising children with such traditional gender role patterns which would pave the way for sexual abuse.
It is stated in the report that 440.000 children under 18 have given birth in Turkey since 2002 when the AKP came to power. The number of children under 15 given birth as a result of sexual abuse is 15,937. Despite all these indicators, the AKP government has not taken any measures to prevent abuse of children.
CURFEWS HIT THE RIGHT TO ACCESS EDUCATION, TOO
The report also shows that 300,000 children cannot receive education [statistical distribution as follows: 32,000 students in Nusaybin district of Mardin (Southeastern province of Turkey), 7,000 students in Derik district of Mardin, 17,000 students in Dargeçit district of Mardin, 41,000 students in Cizre district of Şırnak (Southeastern province of Turkey), 39,000 students in Silopi district of Şırnak, 40,000 students in Central Şırnak, 24,000 students in İdil district of Şırnak, 30,000 students in Sur district of Diyarbakır (Southeastern province of Turkey), 28,000 students in Silvan district of Diyarbakır, and 33,000 students in Yüksekova district of Hakkari (Southeastern province of Turkey)].
In the districts and provinces of Turkey, where the government declared curfews, education service has been stopped from the beginning of 2015-2016 academic year. The situation has not changed in the academic year of 2016-2017: The right of students to access education has been directly abolished due to the curfews in Turkey.
CHILD LABOR UNDER THE AKP GOVERNMENT
In the first five months of 2017, at least 741 workers lost their lives. 4 ones of 146 workers lost their lives in only May 2017 were women workers, and 5 of them were child labours. The number of child labours aged 15-17, which was 601,000 in 2012, reached 709,000 in 2016. As the occupational murders do not cease, child labour deaths have become increasingly ‘permanent’. During the year of 2016, at least 56 child labours lost their lives due to occupational murders.
In the same report of Eğitim-Sen, at least two child labours lost their lives every month due to occupational murders in the first four months of 2017, reported.
Labour Union of the Labourers of Education and Science (Eğitim-İş), which made a statement within the context of the World Day against Child Labor 12 June, stated that the policies of the Ministry of National Education pave the way for child labor, and added: "There are approximately 2 million child labors in working life and about %80 of them are informally employed." In the statement, Eğitim-İş also stated that 56 child labours lost their lives due to occupational murders in 2016. In the light of all these, the AKP government has clearly failed to fulfil its responsibilities for the protection of children. With the 4+4+4 education system enacted in 2012, the age of child labour was actually dropped to 13. The fact that children are employed as workers resulted in the violation of the right to education, which is their most incontestable rights. Therefore, the whole socio-economic environment causing children to work should be publicly structured on the basis of an understanding of social-welfare state, and all children should have the basic rights such as free education, health, nourishment and so on.’’
According to the report, the Ministry of National Education becomes an instrument serving for delivery of reactionary and Islamist educational materials setting a ground for sexual abuse of children in a period of intense criticisms of rising gendered discourses in education.
The rate of child abuse in Turkey has continuously increased under the ruling Justice and Development Party in recent years. Due to the AKP government’s attacks on education system with Islamization policies, many children have been subjected to sexual abuse and molestation.
For instance, a pro-AKP religious foundation, Ensar Foundation, had been involved in an incident of sexual abuse of children and it was strictly protected by the political power because of its strong ties with the AKP government.
The AKP government had previously attempted to pass a new resolution for the Turkish Penal Code last year which would bring along a significant threat that paves the way for reduction of age of marriage to 12, meaning that the children at this age are eligible for marriage and sexual activity and thus all the crimes against children at this age would be unpunished.
