Türkiye reports nearly 10 pct increase in crimes involving minors

ANKARA

The number of criminal incidents in Türkiye involving children — either as victims or perpetrators — rose by nearly 10 percent last year, according to data released by the country’s statistical body on Aug. 1, amid growing debate over the juvenile justice system.

In 2024, the number of incidents involving children reported to or brought before law enforcement increased by 9.8 percent compared to 2023, reaching a total of 612,651, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) said.

This marks a reversal from 2023, when such cases declined by 10.7 percent from the previous year, signaling a renewed deterioration in child-related criminal statistics.

According to TÜİK, around 280,000 children were involved as victims in security incidents in 2024, while 202,785 were subjected to legal proceedings on the grounds of being “pushed into crime.”

In Türkiye, the term "juvenile pushed into crime" refers to a legal and social framework designed to protect perpetrators under the age of 18 by reducing their sentences, promoting rehabilitation, examining the environments that may have led them to commit crimes and ultimately reintegrating them into society.

According to the TÜİK report released on Aug. 1, the most common crime committed by minors in 2024 was assault, accounting for 40 percent of all offenses.

This was followed by theft, drug-related offenses (including possession, sale and use), and threats.

Among children brought to law enforcement as victims, more than half sustained injuries resulting from criminal acts. Sexual crimes and human smuggling followed as the next most common offenses, according to the bureau.

The leniency shown toward juvenile offenders has recently sparked heated public debate in Türkiye. The controversy was reignited over the fatal stabbing of Turkish-Italian teenager Mattia Ahmet Minguzzi by two minors on Jan. 24 in Istanbul’s Kadıköy district.

Under current Turkish law, which mandates reduced sentences for individuals under the age of 18 — even in cases involving serious crimes — the suspects face a maximum sentence of 24 years and are not eligible for life imprisonment.

The Minguzzi family has criticized this legal framework, urging authorities to try the perpetrators as adults.

Mattia's mother, Yasemin Minguzzi, staged a sit-in protest last month, joined by other grieving mothers who had lost their children in similar acts of violence.

In response to mounting public pressure, the Justice Ministry recently announced that it is drafting legislation to revise the legal procedures concerning juvenile offenders.