A report reveals over 600,00 minor interactions with security units.
Security units in Türkiye processed 609,959 children involved in various incidents in 2025, marking a 0.4 percent decrease from the previous year, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUİK) announced.
Data showed 267,794 of these children arrived at police and gendarmerie stations as victims, while 196,308 faced allegations of committing a crime. Authorities consulted 92,301 children to obtain information regarding ongoing investigations and located 18,554 children previously reported missing.
Another 28,251 minors faced minor offense charges and 6,751 arrived for various other reasons.
Assault allegations constituted 41.6 percent of the total cases involving children pushed into crime. Theft offenses followed at 14.7 percent. Charges involving the use, sale or purchase of illicit drugs accounted for 9.7 percent and threats stood at 5.1 percent.
Victims represented the largest group, making up 43.9 percent of the annual figure. Within the 267,794 victimized children, 83.9 percent suffered directly from criminal acts, while the remaining 16.1 percent experienced separate incidents requiring official monitoring and intervention.
Among the 224,579 crime victims, 59.2 percent suffered from physical assault and 10.3 percent faced sexual offenses. Crimes violating family order accounted for 8.5 percent of the cases and threats made up 5 percent. The remaining 17 percent involved other types of criminal offenses.
The Turkish Penal Code defines a juvenile pushed into crime as an individual under 18 years old who commits an act defined as an offense by law. Security forces transfer these minors to specialized juvenile branches equipped with social workers, ensuring they remain separate from adult suspects during early investigation stages.
Türkiye continues to reform its juvenile justice infrastructure to align with global child protection guidelines. The government regularly opens specialized juvenile courthouses and regional probation centers designed to keep minors out of the conventional prison system, prioritize psychological rehabilitation and prevent repeat offenses. The Justice Ministry has accelerated efforts to expand these probation centers across all provinces to ensure comprehensive social integration and reduce case backlogs.
