Press Centre 2004/12/10: Child Protection
Mrs Emine Erdoğan’s Speech at the launch of the State of the World’s Children 2005 in Ankara
This years report tackles the issues of poverty, armed conflict and HIV/AIDS under the theme of Children Under Threat
I believe that we cannot do enough for children -- and I must stress that -- the world in which we are living has unfortunately become ungenerous to our children.
Photograph © UNICEF Turkey 2004
To Mr Edmond McLoughney, the UNICEF Country Representative in Turkey, and distinguished guests, I greet you all with affection and respect.
UNICEF is one of the most significant organisations for humanity’s future in the world.
I would like to express my appreciation and gratitude for the work UNICEF has done throughout the world and in our own country -- I have great respect for this organisation.
Before coming to this meeting I read the report from UNICEF on the conditions facing the world’s children and my heart goes out to them.
I believe that we cannot do enough for children -- and I must stress that -- the world in which we are living has unfortunately become ungenerous to our children:
- children imprisoned by poverty;
- children have lost their present and their future through armed conflict;
- epidemics of disease have taken children’s right to live out of their hands;
- children of school age never see the inside of a school or enjoy their childhood;
- children are not safe on the streets;
- children exploited as cheap labour;
- children facing the threat of violence.
All of them, without exception, are our children.
We cannot be at peace with ourselves when millions of children across the world are left to die in wretched poverty. Put simply, there are 2.2 billion children in the world and one billion of them live under the threat of death.
How can we say that we belong to a civilised world and take pride in the assertion against such a bleak picture of humanity?
Can people and their leaders living in rich countries leave a peaceful world for their own children, given that almost 11 million children throughout this world died in 2003?
The UNICEF report places another fact in perspective, which should raise our hackles if it doesn’t break our hearts: a total of 1.6 million children have been killed in wars in the 14 years since 1990. In other words, as the world prepared for the new millennium, missiles and bullets took the lives of 1.6 million children while 20 million others were made homeless, banished from their towns.
Where is the conscience of humanity here?
Why do some countries with per capita incomes between US$20,000 and US$30,000 continue to make the biggest investments in armaments?
The media pushes violence and there is no power to prevent it.
Who will say that this is an abuse of freedom and when will they say it? More appropriately, who will put an end to this culture of violence?
We certainly need to do something.
Where can we start?
We can start with education.
Distinguished guests,
If a total of 1.6 million children were shot to death in the past 14 years, how much longer before humanity’s conscience will make a stand and say ‘enough’? Who will say so and when?
It isn’t enough to say all evil comes from poverty and illiteracy. It isn’t enough because even those who graduate from the best universities in the world continue to watch these millions of children dying.
The only possibility is for children to protect themselves in the cities and countries of the world by standing on their own feet with education.
We need to raise public awareness of children’s rights, including prevention of early marriage for girls and exploitation of child labour.
The education of our girls is of paramount importance. Education, however, is not just about going to school. As mothers and fathers, we should fulfil our obligation to send our children to school.
It is also necessary to impart moral and humanitarian values to children. Here, mothers and fathers have a tremendous duty. What can mothers and fathers give to their children, if they themselves are uneducated and vulnerable?
A family has to have solid foundations.
We cannot discuss children without focusing on familial and parental obligations.
With these thoughts I give UNICEF my heartfelt thanks and all of you my regards.
I say that all children in the world are our children. Let us, all together, do something for them. Otherwise we cannot provide them with a good future.
My regards
View the State of the World’s Children report online or order printed copies from UNICEF Headquarters in New York.
Previous page
|
Next page
Skip to the page footer menu or select an item from this list ▼
OTHER PRESS RELEASES ON CHILD PROTECTION ISSUES
- Press Launch for the State of the World’s Children 2005 in Ankara
- Mrs Emine Erdoğan’s Speech at the launch of the State of the World’s Children 2005 in Ankara
- Panel Discussion of the theme: Children under Threat of Violence in Turkey:
* How to use RSS …