National Assembly in May: Youth Issues Factsheet

This information note summarizes the prominent themes, discussions, and key data related to youth in the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) for the month of May, based on the officially published parliamentary transcripts. A point of particular importance in this note is the three parliamentary motions for research that were discussed in May. These motions cover the investigation of ill-treatment of young people during the protests and in prisons, the identification of the reasons behind youth involvement in crime, and the examination of the situation of young people who are neither in employment nor in education.

Key Themes

Ill-treatment of Young People During Protests and in Prisons: A parliamentary motion for research on this issue was submitted under the leadership of CHP MP Aysu Bankoğlu. This motion was discussed 7 times in Parliament. Throughout May, youth activism and arrests were brought to the parliamentary agenda a total of 16 times. By party:

CHP: 7 times
DEM Party: 4 times
İYİ Party: 3 times
Felicity (Saadet) Party: 1 time
DEVA Party: 1 time

Identification of the Reasons Behind Youth Involvement in Crime:
A parliamentary motion for research on this topic was submitted under the leadership of İYİ Party MP Yasin Öztürk. In this context, youth-related issues were discussed 5 times in the TBMM. In 4 of these speeches, youth poverty/unemployment was cited as the main reason. Youth poverty/unemployment was brought up a total of 12 times during May. By party:

CHP: 4 times
Felicity (Saadet) Party: 3 times
DEVA Party: 2 times
İYİ Party: 2 times
DEM Party: 1 time

Young People Neither in Education nor Employment: A parliamentary motion for research on the situation and problems of “NEET youth” was submitted under the leadership of Felicity (Saadet) Party MP Bülent Kaya. In this context, home youth were mentioned 4 times in the TBMM. The AKP also spoke once, arguing that this is not a structural problem and explaining what the AKP has done for young people. By party:

Felicity (Saadet) Party: 2 times
İYİ Party: 1 time
CHP: 1 time

Lack of Merit in Appointments and Interviews: The lack of merit in appointments and interview processes was one of the most frequently discussed topics in Parliament during May. It was raised a total of 12 times. By party:

DEM Party: 5 times
CHP: 3 times
İYİ Party: 3 times
Felicity (Saadet) Party: 1 time

Ministry of Youth and Sports Budget and Its Use: The budget of the Ministry of Youth and Sports (GSB) was discussed in Parliament within the scope of a bill proposing a change in the type of expenditures. The opposition criticized the use of this budget, rather than its amount, 4 times (2 CHP, 2 İYİ Party), claiming that it is not genuinely used for young people.

Problems of Young Farmers and Youth Leaving Agriculture: The problems of young farmers and the issue of youth distancing themselves from agriculture were discussed 4 times in the TBMM (2 İYİ Party, 1 AKP, 1 MHP).

The Deterioration of the Youth-Religion Relationship: The decline in the youth-religion relationship was brought to the parliamentary agenda 4 times by opposition MPs (2 Felicity (Saadet) Party, 2 CHP), stating that the Directorate of Religious Affairs’ lack of merit is to blame for this situation.

Notable Data

Youth-related topics were brought up 71 times in the Turkish Grand National Assembly during the month of May. By party:

CHP: 25 times
İYİ Party: 14 times
DEM Party: 11 times
Felicity (Saadet) Party: 11 times
DEVA Party: 5 times
AKP: 4 times
MHP: 1 time

The MPs who spoke most frequently on youth issues in May were Necmettin Çalışkan (Felicity Party) and Nurten Yontar (CHP), each with 3 speeches.

Conclusion

In May, discussions on youth in the Turkish Grand National Assembly mainly took place through parliamentary motions for research. The ill-treatment of young people, the situation of “NEET youth,” and the reasons behind youth involvement in crime were brought to the parliamentary agenda. As in almost every month, the lack of merit in appointments and interview processes was once again one of the prominent youth-related topics in the TBMM. As Arayüz Campaign, we will continue to examine laws and new processes in our future work in terms of their impact on young people.