News Center- The Occupational Health and Safety (İSİG) Assembly released data on child labor during the 2024-2025 academic year. According to the report, at least 72 children lost their lives in workplace accidents between September 2024 and August 2025.

This data represents a 10 percent increase compared to the previous period. The report noted that children employed as children are condemned to lives of poverty and insecurity.

MESEM Policy

The report noted that 20 children lost their lives in agriculture, 19 in industry, 17 in construction, and 16 in the service sector. It emphasized that, unlike in previous years when deaths were predominantly seen in rural areas, the recent deaths have been concentrated in urban centers. It also noted that child labor has been massively increased through state policy through the programs of Organized Industrial Zones and Vocational Training Centers (MESEM).

The report stated that 505,000 students are employed as cheap labor in workplaces four days a week under the MESEM program, and that this constitutes "child labor exploitation," not education. It also noted that at least 15 children have died under the MESEM program in the past two years, and at least seven students have died during internships at various high schools.