Say Yes, Winter 2008: Children’s Forum hears about campaign achievements

Members of the provincial Children’s Rights Committees, made up of children themselves, reported back enthusiastically on the progress of their national campaign to promote child rights at the 2007 Children’s Forum. The highlight of the Forum was an audience with President Abdullah Gül.

There was more excitement than ever when the 162 members of the Children’s Forum gathered in Kızılcahamam near Ankara on November 18–21, 2007. For eight years, the Forum, which is composed of one boy and one girl from the Children’s Rights Committees formed in each of Turkey’s 81 provinces, has been giving children a chance to speak out on issues which affect them. At the same time, participants have been able to learn more about the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), and to acquire the skills they need to pass on this knowledge to others.

In 2006, the Forum broke new ground by launching a national campaign to promote child rights, to be run by children themselves in an initial 25 provinces. The extra buzz at the 2007 Forum reflected the participants’ eagerness to show off their achievements and share one another’s experiences. The hotel lobby was lined with stands displaying photographs, newspaper clippings and child rights merchandise related to the campaign. During the formal sessions, delegates reported back on their progress using sophisticated slide shows.

A busy year

Over the past year, the Children’s Rights Committees have distributed their own materials and promotional goods, staged art competitions, taken part in university debates and televised talk shows and established children’s clubs. Some Committees have directly assisted other children. In Amasya, for instance, Committee members were able to identify children living and/or working on the streets and to follow up with the authorities to ensure their enrolment in school.

The children have been quick to take advantage of local events which traditionally pull crowds. In Karaman, a festival in memory of poet Yunus Emre provided the ideal occasion to grab the attention of the public. In Gaziantep, children secured permission to set up a stand during the annual pistachio festival, complete with clowns and brochures. In Muğla, it was a kite–flying festival which presented the provincial Committee with the opportunity to engage other children in competitions and other child rights related activities.

Negotiating skills

Some of the Committees have won suport from the local private sector. Others have conducted surveys to measure the impact of their efforts. Not without difficulty, committees in Konya and several other provinces prevailed upon local authorities to provide them with an office, meeting room or storage space.

Children’s Forum co–presidents Rıfat Cankat and Hazal Hürman summed up the sentiments of all present when they said that children had demonstrated their ability to negotiate, communicate and take part in decision–making for themselves. At the same time, they called on the authorities to lend more support. Although the right to participation is guaranteed under the CRC alongside with the right to health, education and protection, adults often find it difficult to include children in decision–making processes.

The children were congratulated by İsmail Barış, the Director General of the Social Services and Child Protection Agency (SHÇEK), and UNICEF Deputy Representative Lila Pieters. Both stressed how important it was for children to continue to speak up and claim their rights.

Meeting President Gül

The child delegates also received encouragement from President Abdullah Gül, who received them all at the presidential palace in Ankara on November 19. It was the first time that Children’s Rights Committee representatives had had the opportunity to present their work to the current President of the Turkish Republic.

More contacts are in store for co–president Rifat Cankat, who is to represent Turkey and the wider region in the World Fit for Children +5 meeting taking place in New York in December. The UN General Assembly has invited 20 children to participate in interactive roundtable discussions on issues such as universal quality education, healthy lives and combating HIV/AIDS, and protection of children.

Direct dialogue

The Children’s Forum is timed to coincide with World Children’s Rights Day — the anniversary of the adoption of the CRC by the UN General Assembly in 1989. It is supported by SHÇEK, UNICEF, the European Union and the icecream manufacturer Algida, a trademark of Unilever. Other activities included competitions, workshops and the drafting of action plans for 2008. There was much debate about the format to be taken by the Forum in future. Now that children know more about their rights, the time has come for a direct dialogue with adult policy and decision–makers who can make a difference for children. One idea is to put provincial governors to the test by holding a competition for the Most Child–friendly Province!

Read more about the Children’s Forum in our Resources section.

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