President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has reaffirmed his administration's commitment to safeguarding family values, framing the issue as a national security priority and pledging further measures to ensure societal well-being.
“Even the slightest rupture in the links of the chain extending from the individual to the family and from the family to the nation would bring about problems that would take years to fix and compensate for,” Erdoğan said at an event held by the women's branches of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) on late April 13.
“We should therefore never forget that any attack on the family also targets the backbone of the nation and the state. In this regard, we see the preservation of the family institution and family values as a matter of national security and survival,” he said.
Erdoğan described the family as the “core pillar” of society, arguing that any damage to its structure could have long-term consequences for the nation.
He said the government had stepped up policies to protect and strengthen families, citing recent initiatives including financial support programmes and the designation of 2025 as the “Year of the Family.”
Erdoğan also warned of rising forms of addiction, including digital dependency, gambling and substance use, which he said posed significant risks to families and young people.
“Especially recently, with the artificial intelligence and new digital technologies, there has been a significant increase in various types of addiction,” the president said, stressing that they particularly have an impact on youngsters.
According to a report by the Green Crescent, or Yeşilay, the annual cost of addiction to cigarettes, alcohol, drugs and gambling to the Turkish economy is $78 billion, Erdoğan underlined.
“In other words, addiction is both a threat to the mental and physical health of our nation and is turning into an increasingly large black hole for our economy,” Erdoğan added, informing that all institutions under the leadership of the Family Ministry are exerting great efforts to combat all sorts of addictions.
President Erdoğan also called for continued efforts to shield children from harmful online content and underlined the government’s determination to combat illegal betting and other social threats.
