At least 203 children experienced violence in Turkey in the first three months of 2026, including suspicious deaths, sexual abuse and assault, according to a monitoring report by the Center for Field Research (SAMER).
Of the 203 cases, 61 were classified as suspicious deaths and 48 as sexual abuse, followed by 33 assault or injury cases and 21 killings, according to the report, highlighting the prevalence of both fatal and non-fatal forms of violence.
The cases were concentrated in the first two months of the year, with 86 incidents recorded in January and 83 in February, compared with 34 in March, the report said, indicating a sharp early-year spike.
Girls made up the largest share of victims, accounting for 47.8 percent of cases, with boys at 36.9 percent, while the gender of 15.3 percent was not identified. The report said patterns varied by type of violence, with sexual abuse far more prevalent among girls, while boys were more frequently represented in cases of suspicious death, assault and killings.
Minors ages 15 to 17 accounted for the largest share of cases at 35 percent. Younger age groups made up a smaller proportion, though the report noted the presence of newborns among cases involving children under 1 year of age.
The perpetrator was not identified in 45.8 percent of cases. Among those where a perpetrator was reported, teachers accounted for 13.8 percent and law enforcement personnel for 11.3 percent. Other cases involved people known to the child, strangers, family members and peers.
The report’s cross-analysis found that most cases of ill-treatment were linked to law enforcement personnel, while more than half of sexual abuse cases were associated with teachers. Biological fathers were noted in a number of killings.
Geographically, the highest number of cases was recorded in the northwestern province of Kocaeli with 26, followed by the capital of Ankara with 20, the southeastern province of Şırnak with 19 and Istanbul with 17. Several other provinces reported smaller numbers of cases across the country.
The study also identified incidents of peer violence, where both the victim and the perpetrator were minors. These cases were concentrated among older teenagers and largely involved killings or assault, often occurring within peer groups.
The findings were published by Samer, a Turkey-based research group that tracks rights-related developments and compiles data from media reports and fieldwork.
The report was based on media coverage from national and local outlets, including Evrensel, Bianet, Jin News and T24, and reflects only cases that were published in the press.
