Tens of thousands of children in Turkey face work-related accidents

37,445 children had work-related accidents during the rule of the AKP government in Turkey, as the rate increased by 2747 percent
Tuesday, 11 June 2019 15:13

Gamze Akkuş İlgezdi from the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) shared a report regarding the June 12 World Day Against Child Labour. 

According to the report, among over 2.38 millions of people who had work-related accidents between 2003 and 2017, 2 percent of them were child workers. 37,445 children below the age of 18 faced work-related accidents at that time, as the rate of child workers exposed to occupational accidents dramatically rose by 2747 percent.

At least 119 child workers were killed due to work-related accidents while 3 of these children were below the age of 14.

According to media news in 2018, at least 67 child workers lost their lives due to work-related accidents in this year, 23 of them were under 14. As the AKP government declared 2018 as the Year of Fighting Child Labour in Turkey, 2018 saw the highest numbers of child deaths in work-related accidents.

The report demonstrates that the number of employed workers between the ages of 15 and 19 was 1.49 million. 64 percent of these workers were employed informally.

The Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) released an assessment on November 20, 2017, the Universal Children’s Day, showing that nearly 2 millions of children are forced to work as registered and unregistered workers in Turkey.