Syrian refugee child (12) killed in work accident in Turkey

A 12-year-old Syrian child laborer was fatally injured in an elevator accident in Adana, Turkey. The incident occurred early Tuesday morning when the boy, identified only as Ahmet, entered the elevator of a local textile workshop but became trapped between the wall and the elevator itself. Firefighters recovered his body from the scene of the accident.

The tragedy occurred on the eve of June 12, the World Day Against Child Labourwhich highlights the dangerous conditions in which many refugee children work in Turkey. The elevator had reportedly been out of order for some time, but it was still in use.

This incident highlights the broader problem of refugee child labour in Turkey, many of whom are forced to work in hazardous conditions for economic reasons. According to reports, the workshop at the Dağ Textile Emporium where the accident occurred benefited from government employment support measures but still failed to ensure basic safety standards.

Workers on site expressed their dismay, pointing out that the elevator was known to be unreliable, which demonstrated the low value placed on human life in the unsafe workshops where mostly refugees worked.

The Workers’ Health and Safety Council (İSİG) reported that at least 695 children have died in work-related accidents in Turkey over the past 11 years, with most of these tragedies occurring in the agriculture and construction sectors. This alarming statistic was released just as the world was preparing for World Day Against Child Labour and highlights the grim reality for child workers in high-risk industries.

The Turkish Ministry of Education Vocational training centres have also come under fire for their role in the rise of child labour. The İSİG report points out that while these programmes are designed to provide vocational training, they often lead to the exploitation of child labourers as students are placed in dangerous work environments without adequate protection.

Despite the dangers of child labour, the plight of refugee workers, especially children, is often overshadowed by the increasing Hostility towards refugees Mood in Turkey. Campaigns targeting refugees often ignore the exploitative conditions in which many refugees work, including child labor. While these campaigns are loud about national security and cultural integrity, they rarely address the critical issues of labor exploitation and the urgent need for protection measures in workplaces that employ vulnerable refugees.