Others of the other: Examining migrant children’s delinquency through the exclusion–support matrix

This study aims to analyze migrant children’s delinquency by examining their pathways into offending within a structural and multi-level framework. Based on a qualitative research design, data were collected through in-depth interviews with 15 professionals from NGOs working directly with migrant children in Türkiye. Thematic analysis revealed that intersecting factors such as discrimination, poverty, exclusion from education, peer influence, and limited access to services play a significant role in shaping children’s pathways to crime. The findings are interpreted through theoretical lenses, including labelling theory, strain theory, attachment theory, and the social exclusion approach, emphasizing that children’s involvement in crime stems not only from individual factors but also from structural vulnerabilities. As an original contribution, the study introduces the “Exclusion–Support Matrix,” a conceptual tool that categorizes children’s vulnerability levels across nine typologies, providing a strategic framework for targeted interventions. The matrix offers a grounded, ethically informed, and practice-based understanding of migrant children’s criminalization processes. It underscores the need for rights-based, intersectional, and holistic policy frameworks capable of reshaping child protection and integration strategies. Moreover, by revealing how children move dynamically between different levels of risk, the matrix highlights the importance of differentiated, theory-informed, and context-sensitive responses. The findings provide practical guidance for service providers and policymakers seeking to design inclusive, prevention-oriented strategies for migrant children, while the Exclusion–Support Matrix serves as a transferable framework for informing child protection and social inclusion policies.