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Nearly 186,000 children were recorded as “dragged into crime” in Türkiye in 2025, according to data compiled from the Justice Ministry and the Turkish Statistical Institute, placing last year close to a record high.
Official figures show 186,256 children were involved in criminal investigations in 2025.
The number marked a 1.4% drop from 2024, when 188,926 cases were recorded, the highest level in the past decade.
In 2022, authorities recorded 176,128 children in this category.
The figure rose slightly to 177,174 in 2023 before peaking in 2024.
Over the past 10 years, the number of children dragged into crime has increased by 17.47%.
Türkiye has a population of over 85 million. Of that, 21,817,000 are between the ages of 0 and 17.
Children make up 25.5% of the population, meaning one in four people in the country is under 18.
In 2025, children involved in crime accounted for roughly 0.88 percent of the child population.
Between 2015 and 2019, the number of children involved in crime remained relatively stable.
Authorities recorded 158,560 cases in 2015, 146,737 in 2016, 145,210 in 2017, 157,096 in 2018 and 161,378 in 2019.
In 2020, the figure fell sharply to 119,769, a 25.8 percent decrease from the previous year. Data links the drop to the impact of COVID-19 restrictions.
The downward trend did not last. In 2021, the number rose to 134,464. It then jumped by 31% in 2022 to 176,128, marking one of the steepest annual increases in the decade.
The most common offenses in 2025 included:
Intentional injury, theft, insult and threat led the list.
Cemalettin Gurler, a lawyer who has taught criminal psychology at universities for many years, said crime rates have risen, especially after the pandemic period.
“There are many reasons behind this increase,” Gurler told T24. “Socioeconomic, cultural and legal components come together and form children dragged into crime. A child does not feed from one single reason.”
He pointed to economic deprivation and the influence of media content that promotes fast money and criminal lifestyles. He also referred to widening economic gaps and regional differences.
Gurler described what he called a key paradox in the justice system. “Provisions in execution law that aim to protect children and reintegrate them into society have become a ‘shield’ in the hands of criminal organizations,” he said.
“Today, the most discussed issue in society is the perception of impunity.”
He cited a case in Manisa involving a suspect who was four months short of turning 18 when he carried out a deadly attack.
“If he had committed this crime four months later, he would have received life imprisonment,” Gurler said, adding that under current rules the individual would return to society after serving a shorter sentence.
Lawyer Cemalettin Gurler also warned that criminal groups recruit minors through social media, often displaying “luxury life, weapons, money, alcohol and drugs” to attract them.
He said children who enter prison for gang-related crimes can gain status within criminal networks.
In some cases, he added, they are welcomed back with fireworks and car convoys, which reinforces their ties to the group.
Gurler drew attention to similarities in clothing and appearance among some minors involved in crime. “You think this is a trend. It is a method of evidence concealment,” he said.
“Haircut very short on the sides and back. Similar jackets and sportswear. When 100, 200, or 500 people in the same area wear the same outfit, it becomes very difficult to identify the offender,” he added.
He also noted the rise of motorcycle courier work, which allows individuals wearing helmets or masks to conceal their identities.
Gurler said tackling the issue requires long-term policies, stronger social support systems and reforms in rehabilitation facilities.
“This is long-term work,” he said. “Repairing this damage will take at least 10 or 20 years.”
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