Press Centre 2008/10/31: Child Protection

Enthusiastic launch for EU–funded child protection project

A major new EU–funded project to protect the rights of Turkey’s children was launched on October 31 in Ankara. The project, entitled ‘Modelling Child Protection Mechanisms at Provincial Level’, is being implemented by the Government of Turkey with UNICEF technical support.

Building on the success of the earlier project, ‘Towards Good Governance, Protection and Justice for Children in Turkey’–beter known as ‘Children First’—the new project will support the implementation of the Child Protection Act of 2005 by training professionals working with vulnerable children, establishing coordination mechanisms among the institutions concerned in twelve priority provinces, and establishing a national monitoring system.

In addition, the project will give more underprivileged parents access to parenting education, and support the implementation of catch–up education as a way of ensuring that all children, including those who have dropped out of school or never been enrolled, can enjoy their right to basic education.

Multisectoral gathering

The assembly hall of the Yenimahalle Adult Education Centre in Ankara was completely full for the opening ceremony. Director generals and heads of department from the Ministry of National Education, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Health and the Social Serices and Child Protection Agency–all of which are taking part in the Project–rubbed shoulders with UNICEF staff and with men, women and children from the Yenimahalle district.

In his opening address, UNICEF Representative to Turkey Reza Hossaini highlighted the coordination between all stakeholders and duty-holders as one of the project’s unique features. In my own experience of 20 years of development work it is the first time I have seen the different partners coming together and looking at the child in a holistic manner. At a workshop in Kizilcahamam, for example, there were so many prosecutors, judges, social workers and teachers all sitting around the same table [and] putting the pieces together and seeing where the gaps are in terms of providing services to children.

Other key features of the project underlined by Mr. Hossaini were its focus on developing systems, ownership and sustainability. We will also be able to work on some issues which were brought out of the shadows during the earlier project, the UNICEF Representative added.

European strategy

Counsellor and Deputy Head of the Delegation of the European Commission to Turkey Tibor Varadi spoke of the European Union’s commitment to protecting the rights of children. The safety and well-being of children is not a private issue but a public issue and requires social responsibility, he declared. He noted that all EU countries had ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. In addition, the EU had in 2006 adopted a long-term European Strategy on Children’s Rights in order to protect children’s rights and support the efforts of member countries in this direction. The EU supports and protects children’s rights not only in member countries, but in candidate coutnries and all over the world, he pointed out.

Mr. Varadi went on to give details of the new project. Turkey has embarked on a comprehensive legislative reform for protecting children, he said. The challenge now is implementation and sustainability, which requires coordination and assessment. This can only be done if the capacities of institutions and the skills of personel are sufficient. The EU official also called on the Turkish authorities to go on setting up child courts in every province, shorten trial procedures for children, expand the use of alternative measures and consider the establishment of a child ombudsman. He promised that the EU Commission would continue to provide financial and technical support for efforts to protect the rights of the child in Turkey.

One step further

The keynote speech came, appropriately, from Ministry of National Education Undersecretary Muammer Yaşar Özgül. Five general directorates of the Ministry of National Education are involved in the new project, and one of them, the General Directorate of Non-Formal Education and Apprenticeship, is serving as the main coordinator. Mr Özgül expressed his conviction that the enthusiasm of the partners would ensure that the new project was as successful as its predecessor, notwithstanding its ambitious goals and the short time frame of only 15 months. He emphasised that the models developed during the course of the project would remain in use once the project was over.

The new €5 million project was launched under the slogan: ‘Children First: - One Step Further’. Project partners also include the Turkish Bar Association. The opening ceremony was presented by the well-known television newsreader and presenter Tunç Tuncel.

Subsequently, those present for the launch had the opportuınity to observe part of a parenting education course being conducted within the scope of the project at the Yenimahalle centre. Participants in these courses learn about child health, nutrition and development, gender issues and how to communicate with their young children. The courses have also been observed to empower women. Young children are cared for in an adjacent playroom while their parents attend the classes.

The course participants were full of praise for the programme. They suggested that more courses should be opened in outlying districts and that fathers should be encouraged to attend as well as mothers.

For more information:

Sema Hosta, UNICEF Turkey Communications Officer:
+90 (0)312 454 1000, Cell: 0533 622 8346

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