AKP Lawmaker Poses With Child Workers; 95 Children Died in One School Year

AKP Deputy for Şehitkamil İrfan Çelikaslan shared photographs taken with child workers during a visit to an industrial zone in Antep's Şehitkamil district on October 17, describing their work as "pursuing honest livelihood"; the post drew criticism for legitimizing child labor. In his post, Çelikaslan used phrases such as "We drank the tea of our industrial tradespeople pursuing honest livelihood through sweat and toil, and joined in their conversation"; in a second post the same day, he stated "We had a heart-to-heart with our brothers and sisters at the looms in our industry, those who give labor its due." The deputy provided no information regarding the working conditions, ages, or educational status of the children.

Mehmet Türkmen, General Secretary of the United Textile Weaving and Leather Workers Union (BİRTEK-SEN), criticized Çelikaslan's post in harsh terms. Türkmen said Çelikaslan showed no shame in taking photographs with children working at that age and in legitimizing child labor and children forced to work at that age as "pursuing honest livelihood." Türkmen further stated that Çelikaslan was "one of the little masters" of the patron and palace system that forces hundreds of thousands of children this age to work instead of going to school and playing, and said that low wages condemn families to poverty and children to labor.

According to a September 22, 2025 report by the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Council, at least 95 children died while working during the educational year from September 1, 2024 to August 31, 2025. This figure represents a 32 percent increase compared to 72 deaths in the previous period. Of those who died, 28 were in the 5-14 age group and 67 were in the 15-17 age group; 14 were girls and 81 were boys. 14 children were refugees or migrants.

In sectoral breakdown, agriculture accounted for 37 child deaths, industry 27, construction 18, and services 13. The report also documented that at least three children died while working in Antep during the same period. The OHS Council noted that child labor is not confined to agricultural areas; it has become widespread in organized industrial zones, small workshops, construction sites, and the service sector. The report highlighted that child participation in the labor market has been systematized particularly through Vocational Training Centers (MESEM), and that child labor has been justified using the rhetoric of "education," "vocational training," and "developing support staff."