The Türkiye Child Survey 2022, published on Wednesday by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜIK) within the scope of a protocol signed with the Ministry of Family and Social Services, provides nationwide insights on statistics on child welfare and reveals data on sensitive subjects including peer bullying, the relationship of children with their parents and happiness among the youngest age group.
The field application of the survey carried out by TÜIK throughout Türkiye between Oct. 10 and Dec. 16, 2022, encompasses internationally comparable statistics and provides up-to-date data on child development policies, taking 14,705 children of the 0-17 age group as their base.
According to the survey, the proportion of children aged 6-17 who were bullied by other children at least a few times a month was 13.8%, stated by their mothers or primary caregivers.
The peer bullying that increased globally together with technological advances and widespread usage of social media among children at early ages was a subject often addressed by social experts and the National Education Ministry (MEB), which in January announced the launch of a program to counter this issue in schools.
As per TÜIK’s data, the proportion of children in the 6-17 age group who were deliberately excluded by their peers at least a few times a month was 7.2%, stated by their mothers or primary caregivers. The proportion of children in the same age group who were teased by their peers at least a few times a month was 7.7%.
The survey findings revealed that children with functional difficulties were bullied more by other children. While the proportion of being bullied was 27.2% in children with functional difficulties, this proportion was 11.6% in children without functional difficulties, TÜIK noted.
Peer bullying, which by definition involves an imbalance of power, was termed by Swedish-Norwegian psychologist Dan Olweus in the 1970s but has become more evident in Türkiye, as in many other countries, during the last decade.
Schools, which are primary locations where students spend a lot of time and develop social relations, are the places where aggressive behaviors, which can negatively affect the social and emotional development processes, are often displayed.
With various types of bullying including physical, indirect and verbal, children of different age groups can be victims of peer bullying. At least 4.8% of children, aged between 6-17, whose parents took part in the case survey by TÜIK, noted that they have been subjected to rumors by their peers.
The MEB, which carries out multi-dimensional studies on preventive methods through counselors and by providing educational materials, also underlined the role of the family in tackling peer bullying. Minster Mahmut Özer noted in January that "more emphasis" would be given to the "Family School Project" focusing on the subject in the upcoming period.
The recent data on children's welfare also revealed that the proportion of children having a room of their own was 34%, while children in the 13-17 age group who declared they had friends with whom they could share their joys and sorrows stood at 85%.
The number of children aged 13-17 who stated that they were aware of the Convention on the Rights of the Child was 45.1%
