The Turkish government has launched a sweeping effort to curb the growing involvement of children in organized crime and violent offenses, after a series of peer-on-peer killings and a rise in youth recruitment by criminal gangs alarmed the public and prompted political action.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has instructed ruling party officials and state institutions to develop new measures aimed at preventing children from being drawn into crime, according to officials from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party). The initiative will combine tougher legal penalties with rehabilitation programs and expanded family-focused support, with input from academics and social scientists.
Public concern intensified following the deaths of Mattia Ahmet Minguzzi and Atlas Çaglayan, both killed in separate peer-related incidents that shocked the nation and sparked renewed debate over youth violence, social breakdown and the reach of criminal networks into vulnerable communities.
Officials say the effort will move forward on two parallel tracks.
One part of the plan will focus on revising criminal penalties related to offenses involving minors who are pushed into illegal activity. Lawmakers are expected to amend provisions in upcoming judicial reform packages to increase sentences and close legal gaps that allow criminal groups to exploit children, party officials said.
The second, and more comprehensive, track will emphasize rehabilitation and prevention, including programs aimed at parents and caregivers. A report prepared by the Parliamentary Commission on Children Driven to Crime is expected to guide these efforts, offering data and policy recommendations based on field research and expert analysis.
AK Party officials stressed that punishment alone will not resolve the problem.
Studies and government data show that a significant share of children drawn into crime come from fragmented families, including households affected by divorce or where one or both parents are incarcerated. Officials point to a broader social challenge, noting that marriage and divorce rates in Türkiye have nearly converged in recent years.
“This is a real problem,” senior party figures said, describing what they called a wider social erosion. “When families fall apart, children are left unprotected. You can increase penalties as much as you want, but that alone will not be enough.”
They said that without effective rehabilitation and correction processes, criminal behavior is likely to repeat itself, regardless of sentencing levels. Long-term solutions, they argued, must address the underlying social conditions that make children vulnerable to recruitment by gangs and criminal networks.
The government plans to place families at the center of the new strategy, officials said, calling for a nationwide effort that extends beyond the justice system.
“This must begin with families,” party officials said. “The entire society needs to think about this. Academics and the scientific community must come together to produce solution-oriented work.”
The initiative comes amid growing concern among educators, child advocates and law enforcement officials over the expanding reach of organized crime into schools and neighborhoods, particularly in economically strained areas. Authorities say the goal is not only to deter crime, but to intervene early enough to prevent children from becoming involved in violence in the first place.
