THE LATEST NEWS FROM UNICEF TURKEY

UNICEF SUPPORTS EXPANSION OF PRESCHOOL EDUCATION IN TURKEY

Minister of National Education Nimet Çubukçu (centre) with Undersecretary Muammer Yaşar Özgül (left) and UNICEF Turkey Representative Reza Hossaini (right)
Photograph by: © 2009 UNICEF Turkey

ANKARA — UNICEF has welcomed the Turkish government’s adoption of a plan to ensure 100% enrolment in pre-primary education among five year-olds in 32 out of the country’s 81 provinces in the 2009-10 school year.

The governors and directors of education of the 32 provinces gathered in Ankara on June 11 to hear Minister of National Education Nimet Çubukçu underline the importance of the initiative. Governors are to be responsible for providing physical facilities while the Ministry will provide teachers and equipment.

“The pre-school education period is a very important period when the child develops rapidly and forms basic habits and skills,” the minister explained. She called on public officials, non-government organizations, the media and ordinary citizens to contribute to making the project to expand pre-school education a success. Parents need to become more aware that the cognitive development of children begins at a very early age, she added.

WORLD DAY AGAINST CHILD LABOUR MARKS THE NEED TO TACKLE THE WORST FORMS OF EXPLOITATION

Photograph by: Sema Hosta
© 2009 UNICEF Turkey

UNICEF: Educating girls is one key to the solution

GENEVA, 12 June 2009 – On the tenth anniversary of the World Day against Child Labour, UNICEF joins its partners in calling for action to tackle the underlying poverty that leads to child labour. Improving access to quality education, particularly for girls in poor and rural settings, is a key part of an effective overall approach.

Around the world, many of the estimated 100 million girls involved in child labour undertake similar types of work as boys, but often also endure additional hardships and face extra risks. Moreover, girls are all too often exposed to some of the worst forms of child labour, often in work situations that are out of sight, hidden behind the walls of factories, deep in fields or behind the doors of their own homes.

“Many girls work in the same sort of agriculture and manufacturing jobs as boys do, but girls carry a higher burden by taking on long hours for unpaid household inside the home and working elsewhere,” said Susan Bissell, UNICEF Chief of Child Protection. “What the public does not see is the domestic work done in other households – this exposes young girls to other dangers and risks.”

CATCH-UP EDUCATION PROGRAMME

Catch-up education targets children between 10 and 14 years age, who are at compulsory schooling age but were not able to complete their education at the same time as their peers.

More specifically, the target group includes those children who

have never been enrolled in school
have dropped out or being a non-attender
are at least 3 grades behind their peers

The purpose of catch up education programme is to allow these children to gain necessary skills in a short period of time, which will allow them to have a second chance in education.

Please click here to read more about Catch-up Education Programme.

CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD
GENERAL COMMENT NO. 7 ON IMPLEMENTING CHILD RIGHTS IN EARLY CHILDHOOD (2005)

While Committee on the Rights of Children has been reviewing the reports of member states, it observed that in many cases, very little information has been offered about early childhood, with comments limited mainly to child mortality, birth registration and health care. The Committee felt the need for a discussion on the broader implications of the Convention on the Rights of the Child for young children. Accordingly, in 2004, the Committee devoted its day of general discussion to the theme “Implementing child rights in early childhood”. This resulted in a set of recommendations as well as the decision to prepare General Comment No. 7 Implementing Child Rights In Early Childhood on this important topic. Through this general comment, the Committee wishes to encourage recognition that young children are holders of all rights enshrined in the convention and that early childhood is a critical period for the realization of these rights. The Committee’s working definition of “early childhood” is all young children: at birth and throughout infancy; during the preschool years; as well as during the transition to school.

Please click this link to download and read the full document.

FACTS ON SWINE FLU

UNICEF is working with its UN partners to prepare for a potential outbreak of swine flu. WHO has raised its pandemic alert from level four to level five, indicating widespread human-to-human transmission and an increased likelihood of a pandemic. “The value of UNICEF, in addition to WHO, is that it has the capacity to work with local communities to get the message through about what people can do to protect themselves,” said UNICEF Senior Health Advisor Dr. Osman David Mansoor.

In collaboration with national governments, partners and a range of stakeholders including civil society, UNICEF has prepared pandemic communication resource material to bring critical information on pandemic preparedness to families and communities. In the CEECIS region many countries have prepared such material

ANKARA HOSTS INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON CHILDREN IN CONFLICT WITH THE LAW

UNICEF Turkey Representative Reza Hossaini speaking at the opening session
Photograph by Oktay Üstün © 2009 UNICEF Turkey

ANKARA – Experts from four continents gathered in Ankara on April 27 for an international symposium on children in conflict with the law.

The First International Symposium on Children at Risk and In Need of Protection has been organized under the auspices of the Turkish Grand National Assembly (Parliament) and coordinated by the Turkish National Police with the technical support of UNICEF and the cooperation of the Research Center for Crime Prevention and Juvenile Delinquency of the Police Academy. “Children in Conflict with the Law” is the main theme of the three-day event.

Among those taking part are academics, judges, public officials, psychologists and similar experts from countries as far apart as Azerbaijan, Germany, the Netherlands, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Turkey and the USA.

TURKISH UNIVERSITIES SET STANDARD BY CHAMPIONING CHILD RIGHTS IN NEW SYLLABUS

UNICEF Regional Director Maria Calivis and Professor Özden Çankaya of Galatasaray University in Turkey celebrate signing a memorandum of understanding on establishment of a child rights syllabus within journalism degree courses.

GENEVA — Six Turkish universities are leading the way in European journalism studies by agreeing to introduce a new child rights syllabus in their degree programmes.

Teaching of the syllabus, which UNICEF has promoted, is scheduled to start this September, following a series of pedagogy seminars between senior representatives of the six universities and the creators of the syllabus at the Dublin Institute of Technology.

The latest pedagogy seminar was held last month in Istanbul, where the Dublin Institute team unveiled a web-based e-learning platform to support the Turkish universities and their students.

CHILDREN SPEAK ABOUT EVAPORATING WATER SUPPLIES

ISTANBUL, 22 March 2009 — The 5th World Water Forum was held in Istanbul, between 16-22 March 2009. As part of this event, an International Children’s Forum was convened with 150 children from 21 countries. The children analysed the problems concerning water supplies in their countries. On the second day, the child participants developed a declaration on water. The declaration was displayed at the information desk and distributed to all participants at the opening of the 5th World Water Forum.

Here are the views of some of the children who took part in their forum, interviewed by UNICEF Turkey’s Nilgün Çavuşoğlu.

TURKISH UNIVERSITIES TRAILBLAZE CHILD RIGHTS SYLLABUS FOR JOURNALISTS

More countries expected to follow Turkey’s lead in promoting responsible news reporting on child rights

ISTANBUL — Five Turkish universities are leading the way in European journalism studies by agreeing to introduce a new child rights syllabus into their degree courses.

The child rights syllabus, promoted by UNICEF, has been created, written and designed by the Dublin Institute of Technology, Ireland. A team composed of academicians from Communication Faculties of Istanbul University, Galatasaray University, Gazi University, Ankara University and Anadolu University are currently working on the adaptation of political, social/cultural and legal structure of Turkey.

UNICEF Central and Eastern Europe and Commonwealth of Independent States Regional Director, Maria Calivis, said: “The rights of children, their right to expression, to have a say in matters affecting them, to have their opinions heard, are all too often either ignored, or unknown, in news issues of the day. This child rights syllabus will provide young journalists with new tools for their profession, we hope, enabling children to be heard and listened to.”

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WORKING WITH UNICEF

At present there are no positions vacant at the UNICEF Turkey Country Office. Please note: UNICEF Turkey is unable to respond to unsolicited enquiries regarding employment. Job vacancies will be advertised when they become available.

UNICEF on the ground in Myanmar delivering critical supplies

Some 130 UNICEF technical and operations staff continued to travel to the areas affected by Cyclone Nargis today, identifying the greatest threats to children and women and delivering much–needed supplies.