Some 552 children aged 0-6 incarcerated with their mothers in Turkish jails

Turkey’s Justice Ministry stated on Dec. 24 that 552 children younger than six years old were currently incarcerated in jails with their mothers, in response to a parliamentary question by main opposition CHP deputy Gizem Özcan.

Tuesday December 26 2023 05:37 pm

Ceren Bayar / Gazete Duvar

Turkey’s Justice Ministry stated that 552 children younger than six years old were jailed alongside their incarcerated mothers in Turkey. The Ministry statement responded to a parliamentary question submitted by the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) deputy Gizem Özcan.

Deputy Özcan inquired about the exact number of incarcerated children in jails with their mothers in the 0-6 age group, and whether the Ministry considered alternatives such as house arrests that would allow children freedom.

Özcan also asked whether the Ministry had efforts to try the mothers without arrest if both parents of a child were incarcerated.

The Ministry responded that psychosocial counseling services were provided to children and their mothers both during and post-incarceration period.

The Ministry also noted that the necessities of children of incarcerated women such as cribs, diapers, formula, and feeding bottles were provided from the Ministry budget.

According to the Ministry, Turkey has four women’s penitentiaries with the capacity to hold 48 mothers and their children, and seven penitentiaries were equipped with child-friendly areas.

Additionally, nurseries, kindergartens, and various playgrounds were available to children of incarcerated women, stated the Ministry.

(English version by Ayşenaz Toptaş)