The Prime Ministry has issued a public mandate, declaring 2018 "The Year Against Child Labor," reports said Tuesday.

In a statement released Tuesday, the prime ministry noted that child labor has become a serious problem at the global and national levels, adding that it is necessary for global institutions to take joint action with countries to address the lack of policies in this regard.

The prime ministry said that a "National Program to Fight Child Labor" has been prepared under the coordination of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, under the scope of Turkey's 2023 goals.

The program will aim to develop fundamental strategies and activities to prevent child labor, as well as set timelines for activities to be carried out by cooperating institutions and organizations.

The program will also aim to spread societal awareness to fight child labor, and the government will provide all types of support and assistance to all public institutions in this regard.

According to a 2012 survey by TurkStat, children between the ages of six and 17 years old make up 20.6 percent of the non-institutional population. Around 5.9 percent of the children between these ages are employed according to the statistics.