Türkiye’s soaring cost of living is creating a ‘lost generation’ of children forced to help their families survive hardship

ISTANBUL (AP) — In a dingy studio apartment in one of Istanbul’s poorest neighborhoods, 11-year-old Atakan Sahin huddled on a shabby sofa with his siblings Watching TV while their mother stirs a pot of pasta.

A simple meal is what a family of six looks forward to most nights. Atakan, his two younger brothers and 5-year-old sister are among one in three children living in poverty in Türkiye.

“Look at the condition of my children,” said Rukiye Sahin, 28. “I have four children. They can’t eat chicken, they can’t eat meat. I send them to school with worn-out shoes.

Currency depreciation and unconventional economic policies pursued but later abandoned by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have fueled persistently high inflation, leaving many families struggling to pay for food and housing. Experts say this is creating a lost generation of children who are forced to grow up too quickly and are unable to help their families make ends meet.

According to a 2023 joint report by UNICEF and the Turkish Statistical Institute, approximately 7 million of Türkiye’s approximately 22.2 million children live in poverty.

In neighborhoods like Istanbul’s Tarabasi, this poverty comes into focus. There are many expensive restaurants.

Meanwhile, the Shaheen family sat on the floor of the room eating – Ruquier and her husband slept on the same floor, while their children occupied the room’s sofa. On cold early December nights, the stove burned wood chips to keep warm. Sometimes they fall asleep to the sound of rats running through the building.

Atakan helps his father clean out trash bins every day and look for recyclable materials to earn a small income for his family.

Poor children in Istanbul also support their families by selling small items such as pens, tissues or bracelets in bars and cafes in the city’s entertainment district, often working late into the night.

“I can’t go to school because I don’t have money,” he said. “We have nothing. Can you tell me how to get there? On sunny days, when I’m not going to school, I collect plastic and other things with my father. We sell whatever we find.

The cash helps buy basic food and pay for his siblings to go to school. On the days that Atakan could attend, he lacked the tools to succeed, without the right shoes, a coat and textbooks for his preferred English class.

As Türkiye’s cost-of-living crisis continues to unfold, the Sahin family is struggling to raise money to pay rent, utilities and other basic expenses. Inflation was 47% in November and peaked at 85% at the end of 2022.

In this context, a generation of children is growing up with little access to a hearty meal of fresh meat or vegetables.

Rukiye and her husband receive 6,000 lira ($173) a month in government benefits to help pay for school, but they pay the same amount in rent for their house.

“My son said, ‘Mom, it’s raining and my shoes are soaked.'” But what could I do? Lucie said. “The state is not helping me. I am alone in this room with my children. Who am I but them?

The sight of children digging through trash to support their families is a far cry from the image Turkey presents to the world: an influential world power with a vibrant economy conducive to foreign investment.

Erdogan is proud of the social programs his party has launched since coming to power more than 20 years ago, boasting that “the old days of prohibition, oppression, deprivation and poverty are completely behind us.”

Speaking at the G20 summit in November, Erdogan described Turkey’s social security system as “one of the most comprehensive and inclusive” in the world. “Our goal is to ensure that no one poor person is left behind. We will continue to work until this is achieved.

Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek, who is responsible for implementing austerity policies and curbing inflation, said the monthly minimum wage of 17,000 lira ($488) was not low. But he has pledged to make the request as soon as possible.

While the government has distributed billions of lire to struggling families, most believe inflation is well above official figures, eroding any aid the state can provide.

In areas such as Tarabas, rents have increased fivefold in recent years as gentrification in central Istanbul puts pressure on the housing market for low-income families.

Experts say welfare payments are not enough for millions of people, forcing many parents to make impossible choices: Should they pay rent or buy clothes for their children? Should they send them to school or keep them at home to earn some extra lira?

Volunteers are working to alleviate the cycle of poverty.

Mehmet Yeralan, 53, a former restaurateur, brought necessities to Tarabasi’s poor that they could not afford, including coats, notebooks and the occasional bag of rice.

“Our children don’t deserve to be treated like this,” he said, warming himself on the street with a barrel of burning scrap wood. “Families are in a very difficult situation. They cannot buy food for their children and send them to school. Children are taking to the streets to sell tissues to support their families. We see severe poverty here.

Hasel Fogo, a poverty researcher and activist, said Turkey was raising a lost generation, people who were forced to drop out of school to work or were directed into vocational programs where they worked four days a week and studied one day a week for just one dollar. A small portion of income.

“Look at how the kids are doing,” she said. “Two million of them are in deep poverty. Child labor has become very common. Families choose these educational work programs because the children bring in some income. It’s not real education, it’s just cheaper labor.

Fogo noted that research shows how early childhood education can help break the cycle of poverty. Without it, children remain stranded – stunted physically and educationally, and destined to lifelong disadvantage.

UNICEF ranked Turkey 38th among 39 EU or OECD countries in terms of child poverty between 2019 and 2021, with a child poverty rate of 34%.

The tragic consequences of this poverty sometimes erupt into the public arena.

In November, a fire broke out in the western city of Izmir, killing five children while their mother was out collecting scraps to sell. Images of their father being escorted out of jail in handcuffs to attend the children’s funerals, crying, sparked widespread outrage over the despair and helplessness faced by poor families.

This is a situation that Rukiye completely understands.

“Sometimes I go to bed hungry, and sometimes I go to bed full,” she said. “We can’t move forward, we’re always behind. … When you don’t have money, you’re always behind.

Meanwhile, her eldest son remains clinging to his childhood dreams. “I want my own room,” Atakan said. “I want to go to school regularly. I want everything to be in order. … I want to be a football player one day and support my family.

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Badendik reported from Istanbul. Andrew Wilks in Istanbul and Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Türkiye, contributed.