At least 66 child workers died in last 12 months in Turkey: Report
At least 66 child workers were killed in the workplace between September 2023-August 2024, according to a recent report by the Workers’ Health and Work Safety Assembly (İSİG).
Duvar English
At least 66 child workers have lost their lives in the workplace in the last 12 months in Turkey, according to a report released by the Workers’ Health and Work Safety Assembly (İSİG) on Sept. 11.
The assembly commemorated the children in the beginning of the new education year.
24 of these children were in the agriculture sector, 17 in an industrial sector, 13 in the construction sector and 12 in the service sector.
The Assembly once again criticized the Vocational Training Centers (MESEM) program. Turkey’s Education Ministry launched the MESEM program allowing middle school graduates to enroll in a one-year program where they can receive “theoretical and practical vocational training.” Students spend one day of the week in class, and four days apprenticing at a workshop or factory.
In the 2023-2024 school year, nine children were killed while working under a MESEM program.
Labor unions and child rights advocates have highly criticized the program for exploiting child labor and creating a dangerous environment for the country’s youth.