OMM Newsroom
During the rule of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Turkey, the education system has moved away from secular principles, religious communities and foundations have expanded their influence on public life, and scandals involving the abuse of children have become recurrent.
On one hand, religious values, morality and tradition have become central elements of political rhetoric. On the other, child abuse, violations of the right to education and early marriage remain persistent problems.
Against this backdrop, it appears particularly tragically ironic that political circles in Turkey seek to criticize Azerbaijan’s secular education model and school uniform rules.
From school to religious dormitory: in what conditions are children growing up?
Turkish law provides for 12 years of compulsory education. However, this requirement is often disregarded in the operation of dormitories and courses controlled by religious communities.
Children from low-income families are especially vulnerable to these risks. A shortage of state dormitories, families’ limited financial means and inadequate social support mechanisms can lead some children to residential facilities overseen by religious communities.
Organizations linked to religious networks such as Ismailaga, Suleymancilar and Menzil are particularly prominent in this regard. As a result, many children aged 11 to 13 are unlawfully cut off from secular education and confined to religious instruction.
Most troubling is that the state has enabled this situation. Turkey’s Ministry of National Education has signed cooperation protocols with various religious foundations and associations, effectively paving the way for schoolchildren to come under the influence of religious orders.
The Ensar scandal: when religious influence is placed above children’s rights
One of the most high-profile cases concerning the protection of children in Turkey involved sexual abuse at a dormitory linked to the Ensar Foundation. From 2012 to 2015, 45 boys staying at dormitories belonging to the Ensar Foundation and the Association of Imam Hatip High School Graduates in Turkey’s Karaman province were sexually assaulted.
The case sparked widespread public outrage and exposed the state’s irresponsible approach to protecting children. After the case came to light, only one person — 54-year-old teacher Muharrem Buyukturk — was arrested. No action was taken against the Ensar Foundation’s leadership.
One reason the scandal remains in the political memory was a statement by Sema Ramazanoglu, who was the minister of family and social policy at the time. Speaking about the case, she said: “Nothing comes of it if it happens once. One incident cannot be a reason to smear the foundation.” Her remarks prompted justified and fierce public criticism and, in effect, revealed the state’s ideological approach to child protection.
Threats against children who were abused
In 2024, it emerged that at least five children aged 10 to 12 staying at a Quran course with a dormitory in Bursa province, run by the Ulucinar association affiliated with the Ismailaga community, had been sexually abused. The children had been abused by a 16-year-old resident of the course.
One of the most disturbing aspects of the case was that the children had been urged to conceal what happened. Religious leaders allegedly threatened the minors, saying, “If you tell anyone, your course will be shut down,” in an attempt to cover up the case. Moreover, even after families learned about the matter and informed law enforcement, officials also tried to conceal the situation.
Although an investigation was later launched, none of the course administrators or religious community representatives facing allegations was punished.
Early marriages and violations of children’s rights
Early marriage is among the most common forms of child rights violations in Turkey. Religious and legal explanations concerning the marriage of minors issued by the Directorate of Religious Affairs have drawn strong public criticism. Information published in the Directorate’s books suggesting that girls aged 9 could marry and become mothers prompted widespread protests.
Four years later, in 2022, the Directorate of Religious Affairs contradicted its earlier statement and declared early and forced marriages unacceptable, but the reversal came too late.
In 2015, Turkey’s Constitutional Court annulled provisions that prescribed penalties for conducting a religious marriage ceremony without a civil marriage. A law adopted in 2017 authorized provincial and district muftis in Turkey to conduct civil marriages. Despite objections, Turkey’s Constitutional Court rejected a request to annul the provision in 2018.
In practice, these changes paved the way for religious clerics to conduct marriage ceremonies for girls aged 13 or 14 without any civil marriage. Those responsible are no longer subject to criminal prosecution for doing so.
Another alarming development was the AKP government’s 2016 proposal for a temporary legal arrangement that could have allowed the sentences of people who sexually abused victims to be postponed if they married them. The proposal naturally triggered fierce protests in Turkey and was not enacted amid public pressure. But the initiative once again demonstrated the mindset of the Turkish government.
Withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention: which values are being protected?
Turkey decided to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention on March 20, 2021, and its withdrawal took effect on July 1 that year.
The decision prompted serious debate over efforts to combat violence against women and protect victims. Although the authorities justified the move with their own arguments, it once again exposed Turkey’s political course on protecting women’s rights.
Figures on child abuse paint an even more disturbing picture. Data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) also show a sharp increase in cases of sexual abuse of children. For example, official bodies recorded more than 31,000 children as victims of abuse in 2023. Reports by women’s and children’s rights organizations say child abuse cases in Turkey have risen dramatically in recent years, by about 84%. Courts receive more than 16,000 child abuse cases each year. The situation is even more difficult for children living in dormitories at religious schools. Because no state inspectors conduct inspections, cases of sexual abuse and assault are often covered up.
Those who fail to see the beam in their own eye
As tragically ironic as it may seem, representatives of the ruling party in Turkey — where children have been assaulted in religious dormitories, early marriage has received legal approval and women’s rights have been trampled — are targeting Azerbaijan’s secular education model.
It is no coincidence that AKP members have turned Azerbaijan’s school uniform rules into an ideological controversy. The main aim is to create an external enemy and push domestic economic problems and social scandals out of the spotlight. Such a campaign also enables the AKP leadership to present itself to its domestic audience as the “protector of Islam.”
However, political games of this kind cannot justify interference in another state’s sovereign decisions. The rules applied in Azerbaijan’s schools are determined by the Azerbaijani state, not the AKP. (Our Media)
