Parliamentary Monitoring Report: December 2024–July 2025, Youth Agendas

This policy brief examines youth-related debates in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) between December 2024 and July 2025, based on parliamentary inquiry motions, written parliamentary questions, and General Assembly records. During the period under review, youth-related issues were raised a total of 850 times, 543 speeches were delivered, and 90 different topics were addressed. These figures demonstrate that youth issues are situated not only within the field of social policy, but also at the center of debates concerning democracy, the economy, and security.

The most prominent issue of the period was the 19 March protests and the interventions targeting young people during this process. Youth activism, detentions, arrests, and disciplinary proceedings were discussed extensively in Parliament, bringing into view the tension between young people’s rights to democratic participation and the state’s security-oriented approach. Youth unemployment and poverty emerged as the second most frequently discussed area in the context of the economic crisis. Structural problems in the transition from education to employment, precarious forms of work, and the increasing number of young people not in education, employment, or training (NEET) were repeatedly raised under various headings.

Problems related to merit in appointment and interview processes also emerged as one of the key issues deepening young people’s uncertainty about the future. Drug and gambling addiction indicate an expanding range of social risks surrounding young people and underscore that these problems produce not only individual but also broader social consequences. Housing, KYK dormitories, protests, young people’s vulnerability to crime, and the structural challenges faced by young people who go abroad for educational purposes were among the other notable issues discussed during the period.

Overall, the findings show that although youth-related issues are frequently brought to the parliamentary agenda, a significant proportion of the discussions remain at the level of reacting to immediate crises, with many issues addressed only superficially. Long-term, rights-based, and comprehensive policy frameworks appear to receive relatively limited attention. In addition to identifying the issues that increase the visibility of youth in Parliament, this policy brief aims to highlight the areas in which youth-related concerns are discussed inadequately or within problematic frameworks.