{"id":70083,"date":"2025-11-01T23:03:46","date_gmt":"2025-11-01T23:03:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jushr.org\/?p=70083"},"modified":"2025-11-01T23:03:47","modified_gmt":"2025-11-01T23:03:47","slug":"our-report-to-the-osce-women-and-children-in-turkish-detention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jushr.org\/nl\/our-report-to-the-osce-women-and-children-in-turkish-detention\/","title":{"rendered":"Our Report to the OSCE: Women and Children in Turkish Detention"},"content":{"rendered":"
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<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Executive Summary<\/strong>
Why the OSCE: Because T\u00fcrkiye, as an OSCE participating State, has undertaken politically binding human-dimension commitments. The Organization also has explicit tools (e.g., the Moscow Mechanism) to address serious and systemic violations that undermine regional security and the rule of law.

What we see: Since 15 July 2016, large-scale terrorism-related proceedings have swept up women, including pregnant women, new mothers, and children. More than 127,000 individuals \u2013 including over 10,000 women and hundreds of children under six \u2013 have been detained in T\u00fcrkiye under expansive \u201cterrorism\u201d charges. These detentions often lack judicial oversight, rely on secret evidence, and include pregnant women, new mothers, and minors. Documented conditions and practices by the UN, NGOs, and survivors constitute clear violations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

\u2022 Torture and Ill-Treatment <\/strong>\u2013 UN and NGO sources report beatings, threats (including electric shocks, sexual threats, and coerced statements) in police custody and prisons; investigations remain ineffective.
\u2022 Denial of Medical Care<\/strong> \u2013 Monitoring highlights gaps in antenatal and postnatal care, restraints during medical procedures, and broader deficiencies in health services for women in detention.
\u2022 Child Rights Violations<\/strong> \u2013 Children under six continue to live in prison with their mothers in large numbers: 780 (CoE SPACE I, 2024) and 822 (NGO-based, 2025). As of September 2025, 822 children under six were documented (434 aged 0\u20133; 388 aged 4\u20136, C\u0130SST). Teenage girls have been interrogated without legal or parental presence for up to 16 hours without food.
\u2022 Opacity<\/strong> \u2013 Access to consistent, disaggregated, and up-to-date official data on pregnant women and infants in custody is limited. NGOs flag data gaps that obstruct oversight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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1 | Documented Violations<\/strong>
CRC (Arts. 3, 9, 37)<\/strong> \u2013 Best interests of the child; protection from arbitrary or unlawful deprivation of liberty; family unity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ICCPR (Arts. 7, 9, 10)<\/strong> \u2013 Prohibition of torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment; protection from arbitrary detention; humane treatment of persons deprived of liberty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CEDAW (Arts. 2, 12)<\/strong> \u2013 Non-discrimination; access to appropriate healthcare, including maternity services, without delay or restraint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ECHR (Arts. 3, 5, 8)<\/strong> \u2013 Prohibitions against torture\/ill-treatment; liberty and security; respect for private and family life\u2014regularly engaged by the above practices.

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2 | Legal Framework and Breaches<\/strong>
\u2022 Total number of women detained between 2016 and 2025: ~9,700
\u2022 Children under six detained with mothers: 780 (CoE SPACE I, 2024); 822 (C\u0130SST, Sept 2025) the trend remains elevated compared to previous years.
\u2022 Teenage girls detained without representation (May 2024): 14
\u2022 Documented cases of sexual assault\/torture: at least 50 (OHCHR)
\u2022 Systemic risk backdrop: UN CAT (July 2024) flagged ongoing concerns about torture\/ill-treatment; AIDA\/ECRE (2024 update, publ. July 2025) describes continuing protection gaps.
\u2022 Prison population context: CoE SPACE I (2024) situates T\u00fcrkiye among Europe\u2019s highest prison-population rates, including women and minors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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4 | Human Impact<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A toddler\u2019s first steps taken in a concrete corridor; anew mother transported in
restraints for delivery a child\u2019s early years spent behind bars\u2014these are not isolated
events but recurring patterns, grounded in statistics and findings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 | Calls to Action for OSCE and International Partners<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Urgent releases:<\/strong> Ensure immediate release of pregnant women, postpartum women, infants, and minors held on non-violent charges or where detention is not strictly necessary and proportionate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Health guarantees:<\/strong> Mandate uninterrupted antenatal\/postnatal care; prohibit restraints during labour; ensure independent medical access.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Verantwoording:<\/strong> Support independent, international inquiries into all torture\/ill-treatment allegations; ensure effective, prompt, impartial investigations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Procedural safeguards for children:<\/strong> Ban interrogation or detention of minors without legal counsel and family presence; prioritize non-custodial alternatives consistent with the CRC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Reparations:<\/strong> Provide survivors and families with rehabilitation and psychosocial support, consistent with UN CAT standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6 | Recommended OSCE Engagement<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deploy OSCE mechanisms:<\/strong> Encourage participating States to consider steps up to and including the Moscow Mechanism should credible, systematic concerns persist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joint advocacy:<\/strong> Coordinate statements with UN Special Procedures; mainstream women- and child-protection concerns across OSCE human-dimension work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Visibility & follow-up:<\/strong> Circulate executive summaries to delegations; maintain a standing agenda item in HDIM follow-up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Transparency ask:<\/strong> Urge Turkish authorities to restore regular, disaggregated public reporting on women and children in custody and to facilitate unhindered access for monitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusie<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The detention of women and children under these conditions in T\u00fcrkiye is a grave violation of international law and a moral test for the international community. OSCE, alongside UN partners, must act decisively to uphold human dignity and the universality of rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why the OSCE Should Act on T\u00fcrkiye (Mandate & Relevance)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Escalating risks to women and children:<\/strong> Documented detention, ill-treatment, and lack of safeguards for pregnant women, mothers with infants, and minors indicate an urgent protection gap. Without OSCE-led pressure and scrutiny, more women and children will be exposed to harm, with intergenerational consequences. [9][10][11]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Regional norm-setting & the \u2018model\u2019 effect:<\/strong> Democratic backsliding and normalization of violations risk exporting repressive norms across neighbouring regions, undermining OSCE human-dimension commitments. [14][15][16]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Compelling reasons for immediate OSCE attention (Impact Beyond T\u00fcrkiye)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Participating State obligations:<\/strong> T\u00fcrkiye is one of the OSCE\u2019s 57 participating States; human-dimension commitments are politically binding and central to comprehensive security. [1][2]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Istanbul Charter (1999):<\/strong> States affirmed that respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms is essential to security; engaging T\u00fcrkiye aligns directly with that vision. [3]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Established tools to address violations:<\/strong> The OSCE can deploy fact-finding through the “Moscow Mechanism” and other human-dimension mechanisms when serious concerns arise, as used repeatedly in recent years. [4][5]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Security implications beyond borders:<\/strong> ODIHR human-dimension mechanisms, including the Moscow Mechanism, exist precisely for patterns like those documented here (e.g., torture, arbitrary detention) which weaken rule of law, fuel displacement, and erode regional security. [12]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Complementarity with UN and Council of Europe:<\/strong> OSCE action complements UN treaty body findings and supports implementation of obligations already highlighted for T\u00fcrkiye by UN mechanisms. [9][10]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Notes on Evidence<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022UN OHCHR documented widespread violations during the state of
emergency in 2016\u20132018, including arbitrary detention and
torture.[9]
\u2022Human Rights Watch reported renewed torture and abductions in
police custody in 2017.[11]
\u2022UN Committee against Torture reviewed T\u00fcrkiye in July 2024;
concerns and recommendations are reflected in its concluding
observations.[10]
\u2022As of late 2025, NGO reporting based on C\u0130SST data indicates 822
children under six living with their mothers in prison; Turkish
officials have also reported similar figures (e.g., 706) at different
times.[7] [13]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prepared by
Justice & Human Rights Foundation (JUSHR)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. OSCE \u2013 Participating States: https:\/\/www.osce.org\/participating-states<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. OSCE \u2013 Document of the Copenhagen Meeting (1990):
    https:\/\/www.osce.org\/files\/f\/documents\/9\/c\/14304.pdf<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. OSCE \u2013 Istanbul Document 1999 \/ Charter for European Security:
    https:\/\/www.osce.org\/files\/f\/documents\/4\/2\/17502.pdf<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. OSCE\/ODIHR \u2013 Human Dimension Mechanisms (incl. Moscow Mechanism):
    https:\/\/www.osce.org\/odihr\/human-dimension-mechanisms<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. OSCE \u2013 Moscow Mechanism (Permanent Council update):
    https:\/\/www.osce.org\/permanent-council\/567358<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. https:\/\/wp.unil.ch\/space\/files\/2025\/07\/250715_rapport-space-i-2024_compressed.pdf
    (p. 41-42)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  7. https:\/\/cisst.org.tr\/<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  8. https:\/\/www.prisonstudies.org\/sites\/default\/files\/resources\/downloads\/world_female_i
    mprisonment_list_6th_edition.pdf<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  9. OHCHR \u2013 Report on human rights in Turkey during state of emergency (20 March
    2018):
    https:\/\/www.ohchr.org\/en\/press-releases\/2018\/03\/turkey-un-report-details-extensive-h
    uman-rights-violations-during-protracted<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  10. UN Geneva \u2013 Committee against Torture \u2013 T\u00fcrkiye review & concluding
    observations (July 2024): https:\/\/digitallibrary.un.org\/record\/4059747<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  11. Human Rights Watch \u2013 In Custody: Police Torture and Abductions in Turkey (2017):
    https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/report\/2017\/10\/12\/custody\/police-torture-and-abductions-turkey<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  12. AIDA\/ECRE \u2013 T\u00fcrkiye Country Report (2024 update, July 2025):
    https:\/\/asylumineurope.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/AIDA-TR_2024update.pdf<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  13. Turkish Minute \u2013 759 children under six in Turkish prisons (Nov. 19, 2024):
    https:\/\/www.turkishminute.com\/2024\/11\/19\/759-children-under-6-live-turkish-prisonas-incarceration-rates-soar\/<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  14. Brookings \u2013 The rise and fall of liberal democracy in Turkey: implications for the
    West (2019):
    https:\/\/www.brookings.edu\/articles\/the-rise-and-fall-of-liberal-democracy-in-turkey-i
    mplications-for-the-west\/<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  15. Middle East Institute \u2013 The \u2018Turkish Model\u2019 in the Middle East (2012):
    https:\/\/www.mei.edu\/publications\/turkish-model-middle-east-0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  16. BTI Transformation Index \u2013 T\u00fcrkiye Country Report 2024\/2025:
    https:\/\/bti-project.org\/en\/reports\/country-report\/TUR<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  17. https:\/\/stockholmcf.org\/new-low-in-erdogans-crackdown-minors-prosecuted-as-terror
    ists-for-socializing-with-peers
    Figures
    \u25cf Figure 1: Number of minors (under 18) in prison across Council of Europe states
    (SPACE I, Jan 2024). T\u00fcrkiye holds the highest number.
    \u25cf Figure 2: Children under six living in prison with their mothers (selected Council
    of Europe states, Jan 2024). T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s number is dramatically higher than others.
    Statistics for Germany were taken from: BAG-S summary page:
    https:\/\/bag-s.de\/mutter-kind-vollzug-in-deutschland-2
    \u25cf Figure 3: Number of women in prison in selected European countries
    (2023\/2024). T\u00fcrkiye has by far the largest female prison population.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Executive SummaryWhy the OSCE: Because T\u00fcrkiye, as an OSCE participating State, has undertaken politically binding human-dimension commitments. The Organization also has explicit tools (e.g., the Moscow Mechanism) to address serious…<\/p>","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":70084,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[375],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-70083","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jushr.org\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70083","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jushr.org\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jushr.org\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jushr.org\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jushr.org\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70083"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/jushr.org\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70083\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":70091,"href":"https:\/\/jushr.org\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70083\/revisions\/70091"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jushr.org\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/70084"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jushr.org\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70083"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jushr.org\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70083"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jushr.org\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70083"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}