The Health and Safety Labor Observatory (ISIG) released a report detailing the deaths of child workers in a year. Figures refer to the year from September 2023 to August 2024.
According to the report, at least 66 children who should have been in school tragically lost their lives while working. In particular, 24 children died in the agriculture sector, 17 in the industry sector, 13 children in the construction sector, and 12 children in the service sector.
Twenty-two of the killed children were between the ages of 6 and 14.
ISIG underlined in its report the ongoing issue of child labor in Turkey, particularly in agriculture, where 36% of all child labor deaths occurred last year. Although this is a decrease from the 55% recorded over the last decade, agriculture remains the sector with the highest child mortality rate.
The report observed a shift in child labor deaths from rural areas to urban centers, despite ongoing rural poverty. This urban shift is attributed to deepening urban poverty, state policies encouraging child labor, and the growth of organized industrial zones across Turkey.
In rural areas, the deaths of child laborers, often isolated from social life, have been rendered “invisible” by both the state and industry. However, child labor is now visible in city centers, shopping malls, streets, construction sites, and industrial areas.
The report underlined the normalization of child labor through education and training programs, warning that these deaths are being hidden, and the practice is becoming legitimized.
Source: ANF News