Turkish Parliament: '25 Years of Policies Driving Children to Crime Must Be Questioned'

İYİ Party Manisa Deputy Şenol Sunat urged a critical examination of 25 years of national policies, stating they must be questioned in light of children being drawn into crime. Speaking during the parliamentary debate on a bill amending the Child Protection Law, Sunat argued that the issue extends beyond the children themselves to encompass the governance that has allowed this situation to develop.

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The policies of those who have governed the country for 25 years must also be questioned when thousands of children are dragged into gangs, drugs, weapons, and the crime economy.

Sunat presented alarming statistics, citing Ministry of Justice data from 2025 indicating 186,256 children were involved in criminal acts, with 435,469 cases processed by prosecutor's offices, and a total of 683,823 crimes involving minors. Furthermore, Interior Ministry reports revealed that 478 children were implicated in murder cases in 2025, with children being perpetrators in 15% of intentional homicide cases. Sunat emphasized that the criminal network ensnaring children is not limited to local gangs but is part of a larger criminal economy, from international drug trafficking to urban distribution.

To combat this trend, Sunat proposed a multi-faceted approach. This includes developing family policies, strengthening schools, increasing social services capacity, fighting poverty, and effectively tackling addiction. These measures, he argued, are crucial for steering children away from criminal activities and providing them with a supportive environment.

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The child protection system should be based on coordination, not notification.

Addressing a specific clause in the bill, Sunat noted that it proposes notifying the Ministry of Family and Social Services and the Ministry of National Education when public prosecution is initiated against a child. However, Sunat contended that the child protection system should be based on coordination rather than mere notification. He pointed out that the amendment lacks clarity on which institutions should take what measures within specific timeframes, failing to meet the principles of legal certainty and administrative responsibility in administrative law.

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Those who commit crimes should be punished separately for each crime they commit.

Meanwhile, MHP Ordu Deputy Naci Şanlıtürk advocated for stricter penalties, arguing that children involved in crime should not be shown leniency due to their age. He proposed that individuals committing multiple offenses should be punished separately for each crime. Şanlıtürk also stated that those who can distinguish the intent to kill should be tried and punished as adults, even if under 18, referencing remarks by his party's leader, Devlet Bahçeli. He stressed that the murder of innocent people on the streets to impress organized crime rings cannot be tolerated.

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Individuals who can distinguish the intent to kill should be tried and receive the same punishments as adults, even if they are under 18.