Youth report: ‘Poverty-related suicides on the increase’

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Republican People's Party (CHP) İstanbul MP Sezgin Tanrıkulu published his "Report on Youth in Turkey" on the occasion of May 19 Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day yesterday.

Raising concerns about the rising number of suicides related to unemployment and poverty, the report has addressed young people's problems in Turkey in four main groups, namely the increasing cases of suicide, hidden unemployment, occupational homicides and education.

"Is the young in a state to celebrate the day," the report has asked. Refuting the data of the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat), the MP has noted that the number of broad unemployment has hit 10 million 382 thousand and loss of employment 1 million 103 thousand. According to the report, nearly 1.7 million people "have lost their hopes for finding a job."

'Economy-related suicides on the increase'

Tanrıkulu has protested that while 23 billion lira has been allocated to the bosses during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 11 billion lira has been paid to 2.6 million workers across the country.

Specifically focusing on the cases of suicide, he has said that "5 thousand 806 suicides committed in Turkey from 2002 to 2019 were caused by the difficulties in making ends meet and business failures."

According to the MP, while 7.3 percent of suicides were committed for economic reasons in 2018, this rate increased to 9.4 percent in 2019.

The report of CHP's Tanrıkulu has also raised concerns that "54 people committed suicide inside their workplaces and/or for reasons related to their work in Turkey in the first eight months of 2020."

Referring to the financial aid to shopkeepers and businesses during the pandemic, Tanrıkulu has underlined that while 3.7 billion lira financial support has been provided to 1 million 239 thousand 438 shopkeepers, a single company has been given 9.5 billion lira in the same period.

Youth unemployment: 25 percent

The report has further underlined that the number of people registered as employed but not working is not included in the TurkStat data.

It has indicated that the details about the people looking for a job and ready to work, the unemployed who have lost their hopes for finding a job and the young unemployed people were not shared in the monthly labor force statistics released by the TurkStat.

Underlining that the pandemic is leading to a further increase in unemployment, the report has noted that the rate of broad unemployment among women is 34 percent, youth unemployment is 25 percent and the rate of unemployment among young women is over 30 percent.

67 young workers died in 4 months

Tanrıkulu's report has also shown that of the 2 thousand 427 workers who lost their lives in occupational homicides in 2020, 326 were young people (22 workers at and under the age of 22; 46 workers in the 15-17 age group; 258 workers in the 18-27 age group).

At least 67 of the 735 workers who died in occupational homicides in the first four months of 2021 were young workers.

The report has also drawn attention to the problems in education in Turkey. "Our young people are deliberately deprived of their right to education," the report has noted, adding that the inequalities in education have been aggravated during the COVID-19 pandemic. (TP/SD)