Protection 2001–2005
Note: Pages in this section have been stored solely for archiving purposes. Information contained here refers to the 2001–2005 CPAP. Follow this link for current details about UNICEF programmes in Turkey.
Even in the best of circumstances, a child may view his or her future with some apprehension.
Photograph by Rana Mullan
© UNICEF Turkey 2004
A General Overview
Middle childhood and adolescence is a critical stage in development requiring special attention and care. It is a transitional stage from the dependency of childhood to independent and responsible adulthood. This is the period when children begin to take on progressively more responsibilities in both family and community life, prepare for their role as an adult and make decisions which may have lifelong positive or negative consequences.
Problems experienced by adolescents range from the lack of a supportive family and community environment, dropping out of the formal school system, being subjected to abuse or neglect and not having the means to express their needs.
Focusing on children and young people between the ages of nine and eighteen years of age, this programme aims to ensure the development, protection and active participation of children and adolescents in order to attain maximum benefits from their rights to health, nutrition and education.
The Situation in Turkey
The legal definition of a child varies in Turkey:
- The age of majority is eighteen;
- The legal age of consent to marriage is eighteen;
- The age of minors before the law is between eleven and fourteen;
- Children over the age of fifteen are considered adults before the law;
- The minimum age for normal employment is fifteen;
- The minimum age for light employment which is not harmful to the education or health of a child is thirteen;
- There is no minimum age for employment in agriculture, household based activities, establishments with less than three workers, apprenticeship centres or as domestic servants.
The Turkey Demographic and Health Survey (TDHS), held at five-year intervals, attempts to identify the developmental characteristics and problems of adolescents. The statistics below are from a sample group of fifteen to nineteen year-olds interviewed for the TDHS in 1998:
- 5.8% of women have no education, 4.8% did not complete primary education;
- 15.2% are currently married; Of 5.5% who have been marriied, 11.4% in rural areas and 9.4% in urban areas have been or are pregnant;
- 5.5% have had at least one miscarriage whereas the corresponding ratio in the 1993 TDHS was 3.8%.
- 15.7% use a modern method of contraception. Of these, 7.4% use IUD, 6.0% use condoms, 1.9% use contraceptive pills and 0.5% use contraceptive injection. 17.3% use the traditional method of withdrawal with a very small number following the ovulation cycle. 66.4% do not use any form of family planning;
- The family planning needs of 20% of the women interviewed are not met;
- 35.5% of pregnant women under 20 have not received pre-natal services; 52.7% have not been immunised against tetanus; 25.8% have had deliveries at home and 19.5% did not have the assistance of health personnel during delivery.
Turkey’s Education for All (EFA) Evaluation Report prepared by the Ministry of National Education (MONE) in 2000 includes the following data:
- The net enrolment ratio is 92.6% for boys and 82.3 % for girls;
- In 1999, 1.5 million children were estimated to be out of the education system. The population of children of compulsory school age was 10,300,000 while the number of children actually enrolled was just under 9,900,000 - a difference of roughly 400,000 or 4.3 %. Many children are enrolled in school but do not attend. Some are not registered (in 1995 it was estimated that 40% of children under one were not registered) so estimations must be considered accordingly;
- The non-attendance ratio of enrolled children is 31.9% for girls and 21.2% for boys;
- Learning achievement is lower than desired with class repetitions in primary education at 8-9% in the first year and 12.7% in the sixth year.
Action
UNICEF runs four projects specifically designed to promote child and adolescent development and protection:
- HIV/AIDS Prevention for Young People will raise awareness among young people of HIV/AIDS and educate them on prevention.
- Establishment of Youth Centres aims both to identify and raise awareness of the problems and needs of adolescents. The project will also promote healthy life practices for young people and ensure the provision of counselling, guidance and youth services specifically for them.
- Protection of Children Living and/or Working on the Streets aims to reduce the numbers of children on the streets by providing a safe environment and equipping them with the necessary skills to re-integrate into society. The project will also advocate for the full harmonisation of Turkish labour laws with the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).
- Improving the Juvenile Justice System supports Government efforts to improve the capacity of the juvenile justice system in order to effectively meet the needs and rights of children who are in contact with the law and also those who are victims and/or witnesses of abuse. The ultimate objective is to successfully rehabilitate and reintegrate such children into society.
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