Turkish authorities recorded an average of 18 child abuse cases per day in 2024, based on court documents detailing opened investigations, BirGün daily reported.
Nearly 16,000 sexual abuse cases went to trial in Turkey last year, resulting in the conviction of more than 7,000 defendants, according to official figures.
Child sexual abuse remains alarmingly prevalent in Turkey, with cases rising by 84 percent in 2024, accordingto the Istanbul-based Bread and Rose Association. Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputy Gamze Akkuş İlgezdi, a vocal advocate for child protection, warned that a culture of impunity continues to shield perpetrators, with many allegations of sexual abuse left uninvestigated and no formal charges filed.
Children in boarding schools are most vulnerable to abuse, with critics repeatedly warning that these facilities are not properly supervised or inspected by authorities.
Boarding schools, especially those providing a religious education, are numerous in Turkey, with many children enrolled in religious institutions — both privately run and affiliated with the Directorate of Religious Affairs.
Religious boarding schools in Turkey are institutions where students, often young boys, live while receiving a religious education, primarily focused on learning the Quran and Islamic teachings, with supervision by teachers or religious instructors. These schools provide both accommodation and education for students, often from a young age.
In the most recent case 17 boys, aged between 10 and 13, said they had been abused by their instructor at a religious education center in Istanbul. The children, who had been attending the school since the ages of between four and six, claimed that other teachers were aware of the abuse but chose to remain silent.
One of the most notorious cases involved the sexual abuse in 2016 of 45 boys at a boarding school in Central Anatolia run by the Ensar Foundation, which is known for its closeness to the government.
Then-minister of family and social affairs Sema Ramazanoğlu sparked public outrage by downplaying the incident, saying it was “a one-time event that had no significance.”
