Say Yes, Winter 2007: Children’s Forum, Children’s Rights

Delegates from Turkey’s eighty–ones provinces convened at the Seventh Children’s Forum, an annual event organised by the Social Services and Child Protection Agency (SHÇEK) with the support of UNICEF, Algida and the European Union, to launch a campaign to promote the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) on the 20th of November — International Children’s Rights Day. The campaign represents a new departure because the children have devised it and they will also oversee its implementation in twenty–five selected provinces.

The date of the launch was significant in that it marked the anniversary of the CRC, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1989. The event was also given extra weight when the Children’s Forum delegates met with parliamentarians in the Turkish Grand National Assembly for the launch of the campaign.

Delegates presented a list of twenty–three items to the deputy Speaker of Parliament, Mr Nevzat Pakdil, calling for violence–free and child–friendly schools, provision for pre–school and university education for all, an end to early marriages, more social activities in children’s homes, thorough media coverage of children’s issues and tighter regulation of road traffic.

Seventeen–year–old Hazal Hürman, coordinator of the Forum, led a vigorous question and answer session fielding a range of questions on the rights of Palestinian children, passive smoking and child abuse. Delegates protested the attitude of adults toward children working on the street and criticised the poor examples set by television broadcasters — and in some cases, parliamentarians themselves — regarding physical and verbal violence.

Prior to the campaign launch, delegates took part in an intensive programme of meetings, workshops, training sessions and drama groups, as well as sporting activities and a painting event sponsored by Algida, the ice-cream manufacturer.

As the national agency responsible for monitoring implementation of the CRC, SHÇEK has been organising the Children’s Forum through a provincial network of Children’s Rights Committees for seven years now. Since 2004, SHÇEK has been encouraging a more proactive course for the Forum with the support of UNICEF, focusing on how children can learn from one another about issues such as gender equality, child protection and defending children’s rights and then communicate what they have learned to their families and friends when they return home.

The introduction of the Campaign to promote the CRC is another positive development in the short history of the Forum since it will provide a vehicle for child participation. Outside of the more populous metropolitan provinces, awareness of children’s rights remains very low in Turkey and it is hoped that the campaign will go some way towards reversing the trend.

Although Turkey ratified the CRC in 1994 — and despite the fact that children represent almost a third of the population — traditional barriers to child participation mean that very few have the opportunity to take part in family decision making, even on matters concerning them. Similar barriers pervade community life and campaigns such as this are necessary if those barriers are to be broken down and children’s rights are to be respected.

The campaign trail

The campaign will be active in twenty–five selected provinces, lasting until the 20th of November 2007 when provincial delegates attending the Eighth Children’s Forum will evaluate progress and plan the future action for the child rights committees. Provinces have been chosen for the campaign because they have active child rights committees or they are taking part in the Child Friendly Cities initiative conducted by the Ministry of the Interior with UNICEF support — or both.

Plans for the campaign include the production of publicity materials, organisation of competitions, exhibitions and theatre shows, sponsored picnics, walks, and regattas, film making, advocacy meetings with officials and even planting trees.

The campaigners aim to work with children in detention, disabled children, children on the streets, children in institutions, children requiring special education and children who are out of school. Besides raising public awareness among children and adults alike, campaigners also expect to effect change in rural health services, quality of education, birth registration, substance abuse, family planning, earthquake preparedness and traffic control.

A child–friendly version of the CRC has been developed, a quarterly campaign newsletter has been designed and five regional meetings are scheduled for 2007. Campaign committees are now busy recruiting volunteers in preparation for the campaign, counting on the open doors and open ears of public officials, potential sponsors and the media for support.

Opening doors

SHÇEK will lead a technical committee including representatives of the Ministries of the Interior, Health, National Education, Labour and Justice, NGOs, municipalities, the gendarmerie, the State Planning Organisation, the Turkish Statistical Institute and the media. SHÇEK provincial units will also provide campaigners with basic office facilities. UNICEF will provide each child rights committee with technical support and a small cash grant to meet minor expenses. Algida will provide much needed public relations support.

The opportunity to participate

The success of the campaign will have reciprocal benefits in that it will not only contribute to ensuring the rights of all children to be protected as they develop to their full potential but it will also demonstrate, in the most practical way possible, the right of the child to self–expression and to influence decisions which affect him or her personally.

The last word should go to twenty–three–year–old Orçun Doğan, Assistant Brand Manager at Unilever, the first coordinator of the Children’s Forum:

Of the four main areas of the CRC — survival, development, protection and participation, he told the assembled delegates and parliamentarians in his keynote speech on November 20: I have always held participation a bit above the others. In my view, this is the route to the other rights.

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