Politics
Turkish lawmakers propose coordination, measures to protect children
Killings and sexual abuse of children prompted the Turkish Parliament to form a committee in 2024 to discuss measures. The Investigation Committee for the Protection of Children Against Violence and Abuse recently concluded its work and released a draft report outlining proposals.
Among other recommendations, the report proposes establishing a permanent children’s rights committee in Parliament and creating a new public agency or ministry to coordinate efforts to address the issue.
It suggests legal measures for offenders convicted of sexual abuse of children after they completed their jail term.
The committee was established shortly after the body of an 8-year-old girl was found in September in southeastern Türkiye. The murder of Narin Güran made headlines, and the girl’s mother was among those jailed. Parliamentarians have rallied for new measures to prevent a recurrence of such incidents and to address broader issues affecting children in Türkiye.
Cengiz Aydoğdu, a lawmaker from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) who chaired the committee, said in the report that all segments of society were united against neglect, abuse and violence toward children. “The work of the committee focused on finding causes of such acts and offering lasting solutions,” he said.
The committee made several field trips, including watching the trial of defendants in the murder case of Güran.
The report, consisting of 162 proposals, calls for a comprehensive approach to the matter. It proposes establishing a new agency, ministry, or presidential institution authorized to issue regulations and coordinate among government agencies to protect children.
Other proposals include capacity building in public services responsible for children’s protection and a stronger fight against child labor, especially by raising awareness among children who drop out of school to join the workforce.
The report also focuses on improving conditions for raising children, including tax policies that balance income distribution, family-friendly policies that allow parents to spend more time with their children, and flexible working conditions that help families effectively balance work and childcare.
For children driven to a life of crime, the report calls for increasing the number of experts working on the rehabilitation of children involved in crimes.
For people on trial for sexual abuse of children, lawmakers propose that they be prevented from working in environments where children are present, even if defendants were not convicted yet, and throughout the trial process.
The report suggests better protection for children with special needs, citing that they are exposed more to the risk of violence, abuse and neglect.
Lawmakers also proposed enforcing inspections of social media and digital platforms to protect children’s rights and imposing sanctions on platforms that fail to prevent children’s access to adult content. In this context, it imposes strict age limits on access to social media platforms.
Another suggestion is to increase the number of guidance counselors in schools. The committee also calls for a series of changes for the work of Child Observation Centers, which are specifically established for judicial processes involving child victims of crimes. “Considering that these centers were designed to prevent a repeat of traumatization of children who have subjected to abuse, adult victims of such crimes should not be mandated to give statements at those centers. Legal regulations should be enacted to ensure that all trials involving child victims, particularly those related to crimes of a sexual nature, are conducted in closed sessions as a mandatory requirement in line with the best interests of the child,” the report says.
It also calls for more capacity building at emergency call centers to address the incidents involving children subject to neglect or abuse.
“There are currently 74 Child Observation Centers operating in 70 provinces across Türkiye. However, given the number of children applying to these centers and the distance between victims’ residences and the nearest center, this figure may be insufficient. Efforts should be made to ensure that at least one center is established in every province and that multiple centers are opened in major metropolitan areas with high numbers of victims,” the report proposed. It also calls for assigning law enforcement officers to Child Observation Centers.
NATO spokesperson Allison Hart on Tuesday underlined Türkiye’s role in NATO, saying Türkiye is a staunch ally and valued contributor to shared security.
In a written statement to Anadolu Agency (AA) marking the anniversary of Türkiye’s accession to NATO, Hart emphasized Ankara’s contributions to the alliance.
“As we look forward to the next NATO Summit in Ankara in July, we are reminded today of the many ways in which Türkiye contributes to the Alliance, as it has done for 74 years since joining NATO,” she said.
Hart noted that Türkiye has NATO’s second-largest army and pointed to the country’s “steady investment in defense,” “robust defense industry” and “consistent contributions to NATO missions, activities and exercises.”
Meanwhile, Naval Forces Command commander Adm. Ercüment Tatlıoğlu also said Tuesday that the Anadolu Turkish Maritime Task Force played a significant role in NATO’s largest exercise of the year, deploying domestically produced assets.
Tatlıoğlu spoke to journalists aboard Türkiye’s largest warship, TCG Anadolu, during the NATO Steadfast Dart 2026 exercise in the Baltic Sea.
“We are participating as the Anadolu Turkish Maritime Task Force with our multipurpose amphibious ship TCG Anadolu, our replenishment combat support ship TCG Derya, our first national and local frigate TCG Istanbul, and our TCG Oruçreis frigate, whose midlife modernization we carried out with national means,” Tatlıoğlu said.
The admiral reported that an amphibious marine infantry battalion – armored amphibious assault vehicles capable of operating both at sea and on land, underwater offense and defense commandos, helicopters, unmanned surface vehicles, and three Bayraktar TB3 armed unmanned aerial vehicles – also participated from Türkiye.
He highlighted two key points about the exercise. First, it demonstrated the power projection capability of the Naval Forces Command, with marines and amphibious units transported over a distance of more than 8,000 kilometers (4,971 miles) aboard TCG Anadolu.
Second, the TB3 drones were used for the first time in a NATO exercise and for the first time in an amphibious operation. Tatlıoğlu noted this represents a new doctrine for NATO, marking the alliance’s first amphibious operation using UAVs.
Fifteen ships and 2,600 personnel from Türkiye, France, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, and Spain participated in the operation.
Türkiye joined NATO on Feb. 18, 1952. The alliance was founded in 1949.
Over the past 74 years, leveraging its strategic location, Türkiye has continued to make critical contributions to NATO as the first ally in the region to directly confront threats and risks, particularly in the fight against terrorism.
Among 32 allies, Türkiye ranks seventh in contributing to the alliance’s budget. Its total contribution is expected to amount to 300 million euros (just over $355 million) this year and to rise to 620 million euros in 2030.
An indictment filed against Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu and three other defendants on charges of “political espionage” has been accepted by a court, which set the first hearing for May 11 in Silivri.
The Istanbul 25th High Criminal Court ruled that the trial of Imamoğlu, Hüseyin Gün, Necati Özkan and Merdan Yanardağ will begin at 10 a.m. on May 11 at a courtroom inside the Marmara Prison complex in Silivri, Istanbul.
Imamoğlu, who was suspended from his post as mayor of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) following his arrest in a separate case involving allegations of leading a criminal organization for financial gain, faces between 15 and 20 years in prison if convicted of political espionage. The other three defendants face the same prison term.
The court completed its review of the indictment prepared by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office and issued its preliminary ruling. In its decision, the court said there is a strong suspicion of a crime supported by concrete evidence regarding political or military espionage. It cited the nature and classification of the alleged offense, the fact that the defendants have not yet presented their defenses and that evidence collection has not been completed.
On those grounds, the court ruled to continue the detention of Imamoğlu, Özkan, Yanardağ and Gün.
The panel also ordered that official correspondence be sent to the Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Silivri District Gendarmerie Command to ensure that the hearing can be held at the prison complex and that necessary security measures are taken.
Prosecutors say a search of digital materials belonging to Gün led to the discovery of data exclusively found in IBB’s database. According to prosecutors, Özkan obtained the data originally and, upon instructions of Imamoğlu, relayed them to open-source intelligence (OSINT) websites. Gün is accused of accessing confidential documents of the municipality.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan arrived in Ethiopia on Tuesday in an official visit, a first to the country since 2015.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed welcomed Erdoğan at an elaborate ceremony at the presidential palace.
Türkiye boosted ties with the country in recent years and acted as mediator in Ethiopia’s dispute with Somalia.
The two countries also mark 100 years since the opening of the Turkish Embassy in Addis Ababa and trace their relations back to the Ottoman times.
Both state-owned and private media outlets in Ethiopia have broadly portrayed the visit positively, emphasizing longstanding ties, growing economic engagement and Ankara’s diplomatic role in the region.
State-run Fana Broadcasting Corporation has framed the visit as a level up in bilateral relations. In one article about the Turkish president, the headline portrayed him as “the architect of the new Türkiye.” Private media outlet Addis Standard also reported on the visit, linking it to tensions in the Horn of Africa and Türkiye’s diplomatic engagement in the region. Its coverage said the two countries are expected to sign various cooperation agreements that have already been reached at the official level.
Speaking at an event marking the century-old bilateral relations, Türkiye’s ambassador to Ethiopia, Berk Baran, said Erdoğan’s visit marks “the elevation of already strong ties.”
“Türkiye and Ethiopia already enjoy a strategic relationship in various aspects, including political, economic and social relations,” he said.
Analysts say the relationship has been shaped by mutual political understanding, even when national interests differed.
“I believe Türkiye understands Ethiopia’s positions. We’ve seen this during the Nile dispute. We have seen this during its quest for sea access, and this stems from similarities of geographical context and statehood history,” said Ibrahim Mulushewa, a researcher and head of a think-tank based in Addis Ababa, speaking at a panel marking the centennial of ties.
He said this shared perspective has enabled direct engagement between the two countries. “Turkish understanding sometimes might not be on the same page, but at least both countries see the perspectives. And that very reason created dialogic and direct relations, which also made Türkiye succeed in mediating very sensitive regional matters like that of the Ethiopia-Somalia dispute, which was resolved through the historic Ankara declaration,” he said.
Erdoğan’s visit to Ethiopia will affirm Ankara’s commitment to peace between Addis Ababa and Mogadishu. Ethiopia’s deal with Somaliland for the use of ports and access to the sea has triggered a crisis with Somalia. In 2025, Türkiye stepped in and helped two countries sign the Ankara Declaration by hosting their leaders in the Turkish capital, de-escalating tensions in the region.
Türkiye and Ethiopia boosted their trade volume in 2025, with a 5% increase. Their trade volume currently stands at $253 million. Türkiye is among the four major investors in the African country.
Türkiye’s engagement with the continent gained unprecedented pace after Ankara declared 2005 as the “Year of Africa.” Erdoğan said this initiative opened a “new chapter” in their relations.
“Since then, 20 years have passed, and over these two decades, we have advanced our relations hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder, and most importantly, heart to heart, to a level that could not even be imagined,” he told the Türkiye-Africa Business and Economic Forum in Istanbul in October.
Ankara has repeatedly presented itself as a fairer player than the continent’s former colonial powers, touting cooperation based on equal partnership and a win-win principle.
Erdoğan himself has made more than 50 visits to African nations since he became prime minister in 2023.
Over the years, Türkiye increased the number of its embassies on the continent to 44.
The goal is to lift this figure to 50 in the short term. Currently, 38 African countries have embassies operating in Ankara.
Israel’s recognition of Somaliland would benefit neither Somaliland nor the Horn of Africa, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, reiterating concerns over the possible regional implications of such a move.
Speaking at a joint news conference with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Erdoğan said Türkiye stands with the people of Africa on the basis of equal partnership and that Türkiye does not want to see new conflicts added to the suffering the Horn of Africa has already endured, emphasizing that regional problems should be resolved by regional actors and warning that Israel’s potential recognition of Somaliland would benefit neither Somaliland nor the Horn of Africa.
“As Türkiye, we never want new conflicts and suffering to be added to what the region has already endured,” Erdoğan said.
“We believe that solutions to regional problems should be developed by the countries of the region themselves and that the Horn of Africa must not be turned into a field of struggle for foreign powers. In this regard, I want to reiterate that Israel’s recognition of Somaliland would benefit neither Somaliland nor the Horn of Africa.”
Erdoğan expressed satisfaction at visiting Ethiopia again after more than a decade and thanked Prime Minister Ahmed and Ethiopian authorities for their hospitality.
Noting that Türkiye opened its oldest embassy in sub-Saharan Africa in Addis Ababa in 1926, Erdoğan said the centennial anniversary of the mission’s establishment, coinciding with his visit, was a source of pride.
During meetings with Ethiopian officials, the two sides discussed cooperation in trade, investment, energy, mining, agriculture, communications and education, as well as ways to reach a bilateral trade volume target of $1 billion.
“We are pleased to be the second-largest investor in Ethiopia,” Erdoğan said, noting that more than 200 Turkish companies have invested approximately $2.5 billion in the country, providing employment to nearly 20,000 Ethiopians.
Turkish contracting firms have undertaken 15 projects in Ethiopia worth $2.6 billion, including railway transportation, factories, tourism facilities and energy transmission lines, he added, expressing hope that these investments would continue to grow.
Erdoğan underlined Ethiopia’s cultural and historical importance, particularly in terms of Islamic heritage, pointing to the Nejashi Tomb and Mosque – regarded as the first Muslim settlement in Africa – whose restoration was supported by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA).
He said Türkiye would continue to build cultural bridges through TIKA and the Maarif Foundation, stressing that Ankara stands with the people of the region “on the basis of equal partnership and mutual understanding.”
Congratulating Prime Minister Ahmed for his efforts toward Ethiopia’s political, social and economic transformation, Erdoğan highlighted the importance of Ethiopia’s deep-rooted state tradition and governance at a time when global attention is focused on the Horn of Africa. He emphasized Ethiopia’s respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Erdoğan also recalled Türkiye’s mediation efforts between Ethiopia and Somalia under the Ankara Process and thanked both sides for their constructive approach.
“With stability, we see no obstacle to the Horn of Africa becoming a center of economic opportunity,” he said, expressing hope that his visit would contribute to peace and stability in the region.
The president also noted that Türkiye will host the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP) in November and said cooperation with Ethiopia, which will host the following year’s meeting, would continue.
Following bilateral and interdelegation talks at the National Palace, Erdoğan and Ahmed oversaw the signing of several agreements.
Family and Social Services Minister Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş urged caution against social transformations affecting family dynamics.
Addressing the Human Rights and Family Summit organized by the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) on Tuesday in Ankara, Göktaş underlined the need for protection of the family institution.
“The family is a central structure in the survival of society, an institution sustaining values and connecting generations with each other,” she said.
Türkiye declared 2025 as the “Year of the Family” and seeks to strengthen the institution both to preserve moral values and address the issue of an aging population.
Göktaş told the summit that urbanization, longer working hours and digitalization were among the factors pushing against the strength of the family.
“In addition, we face a global cultural pressure where identity and roles in the family are blurred through degenderizing,” she said. The minister said the ministry pursues reinforcing a family-friendly ecosystem and adaptive approaches that preserve the family. She noted that the government offered incentives to encourage marriages and children.
A looming population crisis and the state of the family dominate the government’s agenda in Türkiye, where the number of households without children accounts for 57% of total households in the country.
With the population replacement rate at 2.1, Türkiye has fallen below this critical threshold, with the total fertility rate declining to 1.48. Supporting fertility and family formation has become a vital necessity for the country.
Following last year’s designation as the “Year of the Family,” authorities decided to pursue family-centered policies over a 10-year period, maintaining a mobilization-style approach to population issues. Under the “Decade of Family and Population,” efforts to introduce new work models that allow women to balance work and family life remain on the agenda, while initiatives to expand the nationwide child care network have accelerated.
Hakan Fidan discussed the latest developments in Palestine during a phone conversation on Monday with his Jordanian counterpart, Ayman Safadi, Turkish diplomatic sources said.
The two ministers exchanged views on the latest developments in Palestine, the sources said.
No further information was provided regarding the phone conversation.
Earlier Sunday, the Israeli government approved a proposal to register vast areas of the occupied West Bank as “state property,” the first such measure since Israel occupied the territory in 1967.
Türkiye called on the international community to take a firm stance against Israeli attempts to create facts on the ground.
The ministry said Türkiye will continue to support efforts to “establish an independent, sovereign and contiguous” Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
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