Turkish Parliament’s General Assembly passed a bill amending the Child Protection Law on Saturday, putting an end, for now, to a debate over minors getting away with serious crimes such as murder.
The law stipulates prison terms of between 19 and 27 years for offenses punishable by aggravated life imprisonment when committed by offenders who were between the ages of 15 and 18 at the time of the crime. It also mandates prison terms of between 15 and 18 years for offenses punishable by life imprisonment.
The bill has been on lawmakers’ agenda for some time in light of several notorious murders committed by offenders under the age of 18, often targeting their peers, as well as the rise of criminal gangs exploiting young people to carry out crimes such as extortion and contract killings targeting rival gangs and businesses that refuse to pay extortion demands.
Under the new law, judges are granted discretionary authority so that age-based sentence reductions may not be applied to children in the 15-18 age group who commit intentional homicide or aggravated injury resulting in severe consequences. In addition, the penalty regime applicable to an older age group may be applied to children in the 12-15 age group.
Any person who enables a child to obtain a firearm as a result of failing to fulfill their duty of care and supervision will be sentenced to imprisonment from one to three years, provided that the act does not constitute another offense carrying a heavier penalty.
The phrase “juvenile pushed into crime” in the Child Protection Law has also been replaced with “child in the judicial process.” If a public prosecution is initiated against a child, the case will be reported to the provincial or district directorates of the Ministry of Family and Social Services and the Ministry of National Education so that the necessary administrative measures can be taken.
A new article added to the Child Protection Law establishes “guidance measures” as child-specific security measures for children involved in judicial proceedings who lack criminal responsibility. Under the amendment, conducting a social investigation will be mandatory for children under the age of 15. If a social investigation is not conducted by the public prosecutor, the court, or the juvenile judge for a child aged 15 or older, the reasons must be specified in the indictment or judicial decision.
Justice Minister Akın Gürlek hailed the new law and regulations in a social media post on Sunday. He said the legislation paved the way for more deterrent sanctions for serious crimes, adding that efforts to combat the exploitation of children by criminal groups had also been strengthened.
“While protecting our children from the dangers of criminal organizations, street gangs, drugs, violence and the digital world, we will also decisively fulfill the requirements of justice in the face of serious crimes that threaten the lives and property of our citizens. Under the leadership of our president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, we will continue to develop our justice system for a safer and fairer Türkiye, where our children grow up in safety and the peace of our families is strengthened,” Gürlek said.
Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi said the law had become “the voice of the voiceless.”
“This law does not merely punish; it cuts off the path leading to crime, anticipates risks before they emerge, and serves as a shield for our children,” Çiftçi said in a social media post on Sunday.
