On this year’s April 23, the official Children’s Day in Turkey, child rights activist Ezgi Koman underlines that there can be no talk of a functioning child protection system. Violence, exclusion, and structural neglect shape the daily lives of many children—a situation that, in her view, leaves no room for celebration. Koman, who works for the FISA Center for Child Rights, states in an interview with ANF that the recent cases of violence in schools must not be viewed in isolation. “In Turkey, there is no system that truly engages with and protects children,” she says. “Child protection does not function, and that is why children go off track.”
Structural failure instead of isolated cases
According to Koman, the visible acts of violence are merely symptoms of deeper underlying problems. The responsibility does not lie with the children themselves, but with the conditions in which they grow up. “The increasing normalization of violence in society, the difficult living conditions of many families, the neglect of children’s problems, and the pressure on teachers—all of this has produced this picture. At the same time, educational work is increasingly losing importance, while supportive structures are lacking,” she explains. According to Koman, the current situation is not a surprising anomaly, but the result of long-term failure. A system that supports, accompanies, and protects children effectively does not exist in practice, she notes.
Growing inequality and lack of prospects
Koman also sees the causes of the current development in the broader social and political climate. An increasingly authoritarian environment, restricted freedom of expression, and social inequality affect not only adults but children to an even greater extent, and adolescents in particular are impacted, she says. “At this stage, children need opportunities to develop themselves,” says Koman. “But these spaces are missing: they have little access to art, sports, or places where they can express themselves freely.” In addition, she notes, social differences are becoming increasingly visible in everyday life. Children are confronted with inequality at an early age, whether in school settings or in social interactions with their peers. “These inequalities create significant tensions,” Koman states. “They lead to frustration and anger.”
Isolation instead of support
The decisive issue, according to Koman, is the lack of structures capable of absorbing these developments. “There is no system that takes in this anger, processes it, and transforms it into something positive,” she explains. “Instead, children are increasingly left to themselves. The result is growing isolation. Many children distance themselves both from their families and from their social environment. They withdraw, are left alone, and ultimately situations arise in which they harm either themselves or others,” she says. Koman does not describe this as an individual failure, but as the expression of a structural problem: children grow up in an environment that offers them neither security nor prospects—and at the same time provides hardly any mechanisms to respond appropriately to crises.
Children in crisis – not “dangerous,” but in danger
Against the backdrop of increasing violence, Koman warns against defining children themselves as the problem. According to her, the current debate, in which young perpetrators are quickly labeled as “dangerous,” falls short and obscures the real causes. “We must recognize that it is not the children who are dangerous, but that they are in danger,” says Koman. “Behavior perceived as aggressive or violent is often an expression of overload and lack of support. A child who lives in a risk situation can also develop behavior that becomes dangerous for others. But this is the result of a process.”
Maraş incident: violence and its social reflection
As an example, Koman cites the incident in Maraş, in which a 14-year-old carried out an armed attack on his school. In the notes published by the teenager, feelings of isolation and a desire for recognition were particularly evident. Koman says that this points to a deeper underlying issue: “Visibility has become a central theme today, including for children. In a society where even adults are constantly competing for attention, it cannot be expected that adolescents will be immune to this pressure. When our own connection to reality becomes fragile, it affects children even more strongly.”
Koman views the reactions to the attack as particularly critical: after the teenager was fatally stabbed by the father of two students, this man was portrayed in parts of the public as a “hero.” “When such violence is turned into heroic narratives, it is a clear sign of how normalized violence has already become. Such portrayals also feed back onto children,” Koman states.
Urfa incident: exclusion instead of support
Another incident in Urfa also illustrates the structural problems. In the district of Siverek, a teenager carried out an attack after previously being expelled from school. According to Koman, this is an example of how quickly children are pushed out of the system. “We have reached a point where children are simply excluded when they face difficulties. What happens to them afterward largely goes unnoticed. Such exclusion further exacerbates the situation. The moment a child falls out of the system, the likelihood increases that they will be drawn into destructive dynamics,” Koman says. At the same time, she says, there is a lack of expertise and appropriate approaches to deal with such situations. “Instead, a logic of escalation often dominates; violence is met with violence. When a child is perceived as a threat, the first reaction is often to stop them with force. This demonstrates how much fundamental pedagogical principles and professional standards have lost importance,” she says.
Security logic instead of structural solutions
Koman criticizes that political responses to violence are increasingly limited to security measures. “Police presence or surveillance cannot resolve the deeper underlying problems. These issues are pedagogical and societal; they cannot be addressed through security measures alone,” she says and remarks that policy that treats violence solely as a security issue is insufficient and fails to address the root causes.
Access to weapons as a central risk
Koman points out that key issue is the ease of access to weapons, which further aggravates the situation in a society already marked by tension and frustration. “If we are talking about safety, we must first talk about how easily children and adults can access weapons. Measures such as increased police presence in schools are ineffective as long as weapons remain readily available. Violence can simply shift to other locations,” Koman emphasizes. Instead, she calls for political steps against increasing private armament. “In an environment where weapons are not accessible, such situations do not escalate in this way.”
Child labor and structural exploitation
The social reality of many children is also central to the criticism. Although Turkey has ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, its implementation remains largely absent. Koman points in particular to the state program of vocational training centers (MESEM), within which children are integrated into labor processes at an early stage. “Children are effectively turned into a labor force and pushed into exploitative conditions,” she says. The consequences are severe: in 2025 alone, at least 95 children died in workplace accidents. “This shows how dramatic the situation is. Children who should have access to education are instead working, exposed to violence and exploitation, and in the worst cases losing their lives,” Koman states.
No cause for celebration
The discrepancy between legal obligations and actual practice is striking. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child stipulates that education must be based on human rights and support the development of children. In reality, the situation looks different: “These rights largely exist only on paper in Turkey,” says Koman, adding that neither safe learning environments nor comprehensive protection are ensured. Against this backdrop, Koman also fundamentally questions the official framing of April 23, the “Day of Children.” Given the current situation, she says it can hardly be described as a holiday. “In such a climate, we cannot speak of a celebration. Rather, this day should be an opportunity to critically examine the reality of children in Turkey,” she underlines.
Appeal to society and politics
Koman directs her criticism not only at political decision-makers but at society as a whole: “Responsibility does not lie solely with state institutions, but also with civil society actors, the media, and adults in everyday life. We must pause and ask ourselves what we are doing. The aim is to recognize our own shortcomings and to change the conditions under which children grow up. Only through a collective shift in mindset can an environment be created that provides children with security, prospects, and genuine participation.”
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