The Human Rights Association (IHD) has issued a statement on the occasion of 20 November Universal Children’s Day, saying that this year 49 children have been subjected to torture in Turkish prisons, and 64 in detention centres. The IHD recalled that 129 children had suffered sexual exploitation and that those guilty of raping children had gone unpunished.

The IHD recalled that Universal Children’s Day had been adopted by the United Nations on 20 November 1959, and that children suffered the most rights violations.

The IHD statement stressed that violations in prisons had become systematic, adding: “The Ministry of Justice, the Directorate General of Prisons and officials at children’s prisons are ignoring all applications regarding harassment, violence and rape in prisons.”

According to data compiled by the IHD after applications received, between 1 January 2014 and 19 November 2014 forty nine children suffered torture in prison, while 64 were tortured in detention centres. In its statement the IHD said that on demonstrations 360 children had been detained, 59 formally arrested and 42 injured.

The IHD statement noted: "They are killed at Roboskî as they engage in smuggling in order to make a living, in Istanbul as they go to buy bread and they cannot play everywhere due to uncleared minefields. They are considered to be ‘terrorists’ when they are killed and sometimes the authorities say: ‘kill them even if they’re children'. These incidents are not properly investigated, no one is prosecuted, the cases run out of time or result in acquittal. There is no justice for children killed by the state.”

The IHD stated that 129 children had suffered sexual exploitation at the hands of their families or others between 1 January and 19 November 2014 and that those guilty of raping children had gone unpunished.

The IHD called on adults, saying: “Children have a right to a say in all decisions that affect them. May they make decisions about the world they want, not the world adults and those in charge of the state want.”