The number of children under six years of age who are in prisons along with their mothers in Turkey have increased by 20% since last year.

The Turkish Ministry of Justice has responded to a written inquiry by Istanbul MP Gamze Akkuş İlgezdi and announced that as of November 14, 2017, there are 624 children who are in prisons along with their mothers.

On the children who have been diagnosed with serious illnesses while they were in prison with their mothers, the Ministry said: “There is no statistical data on the number of children who have been diagnosed with serious illnesses while they were in prison with their mothers between 2003 and 2017.”

İlgezdi had published a report titled “Incarcerated Along with Mom: 560 Children” in April 2017 and spoke about the problems and rights violations the children experienced. İlgezdi had also proposed rights to preschool facilities and prisons to be designed in compliance with needs of arrestee women with children.

In the 3 months after the publication of the report, the number of children under 6 in prisons along with their mothers increased 20% to 668 children.