Violence among minors in Turkey has been rising, with a growing number of fatal incidents in the recent weeks, the BirGün daily reported.
Teenagers in major cities like İstanbul are increasingly involved in criminal activities, including assaults and even murder. There have been some reports that many of these activities are connected to gangs and other criminal organizations.
Teenagers living in poor urban neighborhoods are particularly vulnerable to involvement in crime and gang activity. The recent trial of an Istanbul-based gang revealed its efforts to recruit teenagers as young as 15. Most of these recruits are boys from poor families who have dropped out of school. They are lured through social media or approached at football games and are used for the gang’s “dirty work,” including theft and violent attacks. Many teenagers involved in these gangs have ultimately committed murder.
The number of minors in Turkey involved in crime has more than doubled over the past 13 years, rising from 83,393 in 2010 to 178,834 in 2023.
In a recent and highly publicized case, 15-year-old Mattia Ahmet Minguzzi was assaulted and fatally stabbed in broad daylight at an Istanbul marketplace by 16-year-old B.B. and 15-year-old U.B. on January 24.
Minguzzi and his friend were walking through the marketplace when he accidentally bumped into B.B. Although he apologized and moved on, B.B. retaliated by ramming into him and stabbing him multiple times. Minguzzi was rushed to the hospital but succumbed to his injuries after 17 days in intensive care.
The incident caused outrage among the public, with a demand that B.B. not be tried as a minor, but rather as an adult. Despite the public outcry, B.B. will be tried in juvenile court, where the prosecutor is seeking a 24-year sentence. However, even if he receives the maximum time in prison, Turkish law mandates that a minor serve no more than 12 years for each offense. This means he could be released before he reaches the age of 30, with legal experts warning of a high risk of recidivism upon his release.
Last year 16-year-old Emir Koçhan was killed in Istanbul by three other teenagers over a social media post.
Both Koçhan and Minguzzi’s killers were school dropouts and from poor families. People who knew them said they were frequently involved in fights.
Opposition politicians have time and again warned that increasing poverty is making minors vulnerable to crime. They have called on the government for better social policies to deter youngsters from gangs and criminal activity.
