Say Yes, Spring 2002: Guaranteeing the Future
Children are the common wealth of mankind and society, not just of their parents.
Photograph © UNICEF Turkey 2000
Apart from being a member of the Turkish Cabinet, Minister Responsible for Women and Children’s Issues, Hasan Gemici, is known for his sensitivity on the issue of children’s rights. A strong supporter of Say Yes for Children, Mr Gemici will head the Turkish delegation to the United Nations Special Session on Children (UNSSC).
The main idea of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is the belief that children are the common wealth of mankind and society, not only of their parents
he said, it is through healthy and well-raised children that we will guarantee the future of the world.
The main aim is to make this understanding widespread and accepted throughout the world. In order to raise public awareness of children’s rights, various activities were initiated by the Social Services and Child Protection Agency (SHÇEK), the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of National Education (MONE), the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Health (MOH), the Ministry of Labour and UNICEF during the tenth anniversary of the CRC.
Children’s Committees were established in the eighty-one provinces, following the framework outlined by the Global Movement for Children (GMFC), in order to examine the problems children face.
Representatives of these committees met to discuss their findings in Ankara in April, 2000 and they compiled a national report which was presented to the President.
Following this, representatives held a Rights for Youth meeting in Bolu for eighty-one children selected from the Marmara region which was hit by earthquakes in 1999.
On the 23rd of April, a Children’s Parliament will be held in Ankara where 550 boys and girls will represent their respective provinces. Representation will be in proportion to the number of deputies in each city. The date is significant not only because it is the anniversary of the establishment of the Turkish Parliament and because it is Child and National Sovereignty Day but also because it will be exactly a year since Say Yes for Children kicked off in Turkey.
Commenting on the results of Say Yes for Children, Mr Gemici says that the campaign initially targeted ten million signatures but in the end it exceeded sixteen million -- a figure which shows how successful the campaign has been.
Through Say Yes for Children, adults and children from around the world will determine ten actions which must be carried out to improve the quality of life for children. These actions or imperatives will feature on the agenda of the UNSSC in May which world leaders, representatives of NGOs and children will attend. The UNSSC will aim to influence the pledges world leaders make and also to hold them accountable for implementing the agreements they reach.
We will underline the importance of our children and families and present the findings of studies carried out here in Turkey. This means informing society about the CRC, improving society’s understanding of the CRC and impressing the fact that this is an issue that concerns all of society. We will also work on promoting awareness through the government and non-governmental organisations.
Mr Gemici adds that: we will fulfill all our responsibilities made at the UNSSC.
The February, 2002 issue of Say Yes has more information about the phenomenal success of Say Yes for Children in Turkey. The full text of We Are The Children of The World -- the outcome document of the Children’s Forum is reproduced in the July issue of Say Yes.
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