Yet 11th child worker killed in Turkey’s state-run vocational training centers
16-year-old Eren Dağ became the 11th child worker who was killed in Turkey’s state-run Vocational Training Centers (MESEM) in just one year.
Duvar English
Eren Dağ, 16, a student of Karapınar Vocational Training Centre in central Anatolian Konya province, on July 31 was electrocuted to death while drilling a well in a field with the company he worked for.
Turkey’s Education Ministry launched Vocational Training Centre (MESEM) program in 2016 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.
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.
16-year-old Dağ became the 11th child worker who was killed in the MESEMs in just one year, according to the reporting of the daily BirGün.
A week ago, 15-year-old Alperen Kocayavuz fell from the 6th floor of a construction site in the capital Ankara, while working under the MESEM program and lost his life.
In the past year, other children who were killed include 14-year-old Arda Tonbul, 15-year-olds Erol Can Yavuz, Ömer Çakar, and Ömer Girgin, 16-year-old Zekai Dikici, and 17-year-olds Ulaş Dumlu, Murat Can Eryılmaz, Alperen Enes Ural, and Yiğit Zamanis.
At least 41 children died in work-related incidents in 7 months
According to data released by the Education Ministry in February, there were nearly 422,000 students registered in MESEM programs.
In contrast, a report by labor union Sosyal-İş revealed that there have been at least 336 workplace accidents in MESEMs over the past year.
At least 41 children have died in work-related incidents in the first seven months of 2024, with eight of these fatalities occurring in July, according to the Assembly for Worker Health and Safety’s (İSİG) data.