Country Profile 2001–2005
Note: Pages in this section have been stored solely for archiving purposes. Information contained here refers to the 2001–2005 CPAP. Follow this link for current details about UNICEF in Turkey.
This map does not reflect a position by UNICEF on the legal status of any country or territory or the delimitation of any frontiers.
Overview
According to the latest TDHS (2003), 29 per cent of Turkey’s population is under the age of 15 and 9 per cent are under five. Three-fifths of the nation live in urban centres while the rest live in largely poor rural areas.
Turkey is particularly susceptible to earthquakes -- almost 70 per cent of the population live in high-risk areas and there have been 19 earthquakes measuring in excess of seven on the RS since 1950.
Although there have been steady improvements in recent years, the situation of women and children continues to be marked by serious problems -- due to the persistence of broad geographical, economic and cultural disparities in Turkish society.
Provision of basic services at the regional level is hindered by problems of access and security, particularly in the southeast. Government initiatives in impoverished regions are under-funded and unemployment continues to rise in urban settlements where high rates of migration from rural areas also put pressure on social services and housing.
In general, the goals for Turkey’s children are shifting from survival to development and protection and a rights-based approach to programming.
UNICEF priorities in Turkey
Education
One in every eight girls is out of school. The tradition of placing low values on girls and women -- especially those from poorer families in urban settlements and rural areas -- coupled to a high rate of illiteracy are primarily to blame.
Girls’ education is the top priority for UNICEF in Turkey. The campaign for girls’ education -- a strong partnership with MONE under the banner of Haydi Kızlar Okula! -- was launched in the Summer of 2003 by UNICEF Executive Director, Carol Bellamy with the goal of gender parity in school enrolment by the end of 2005.
At the time of the campaign’s launch, 640,000 girls of primary school age were out-of-school. Within months of the beginning of the new school year, the figure was reduced to 600,000 as 40,000 girls in the first ten target provinces were successfully enrolled in primary education. Haydi Kızlar Okula! has been expanded to include a further 23 provinces during the academic year, 2004-2005. The campaign objective is to close the gender gap in primary education with the inclusion of 20 new provinces in 2005.
The quality of education in primary schools also needs to be improved so children between the ages of six and fourteen years can reach their full development potential. This would also be an added incentive for parents to send their children -- especially the girls -- to school. To this end, UNICEF aims to have at least 20 child-friendly schools in each province by the end of 2005.
Early Childhood Care and Development
FACT is an important element of the ECD programme. By focusing on the family unit, FACT promotes a holistic approach to the physical, social, emotional and cognitive development of children whilst supporting an inter-sectoral approach to the provision of childcare services. FACT will be expanded to reach 3 million families by the end of 2005.
A campaign designed to develop the skills, attitudes and knowledge of parents and care-givers was launched in the summer of 2004. Entitled Conscious Parents, Healthy Baby, this collaborative project between the MOH and UNICEF enjoys private sector support and aims to reach in excess of 600,000 families with newborn babies.
Children’s and women’s rights
Since Turkey ratified the CRC in 1994, public awareness concerning the rising number of children in difficult circumstances has grown. UNICEF is actively seeking to ensure that Turkey’s legislation is fully compliant with both the CRC and CEDAW. To this end, UNICEF works closely with the Ministry of Justice on reforming the juvenile justice system and in drafting a child code.
Since 2000, UNICEF and SHÇEK have hosted the Children’s Forum each year on the anniversary of the CRC. Child delegates from different social backgrounds and parts of the country are given the opportunity to have a say in the development agenda for children in the forthcoming year.
Children and women tend to be inadequately served by essential public services since awareness of their needs amongst local authorities and service providers is often low. UNICEF aims to ensure that effective social monitoring and planning for children and women is an integral part of provincial policies.
Immunisation
Turkey was declared polio free in 2002 but there is much room for improvement in coverage rates for both routine and national EPI; with measles at 84 per cent, diphtheria and oral polio vaccine at 78 per cent and tetanus toxoid at 37 per cent. According to the latest TDHS, the IMR has been reduced from 43.1 per thousand live births in 1998 to 29 per thousand live births in 2003. The U5MR -- down from 52 per thousand in 1998 to 37 per thousand in 2003 -- indicates a positive general improvement in child health. However, rates can be as much as 15 per cent higher in the east of the country. In addition, 56 per cent of infant deaths occur in the first four weeks of life.
Nutrition
There is growing awareness of the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding. Under the BFHI, 141 hospitals have been certified ‘Baby-friendly’ and the ‘Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding’ is rigorously promoted with additional support to new mothers when they leave the hospitals.
But rates of malnutrition in the east are almost three times higher than in the western and southern parts of the country, with up to 50 per cent of children showing signs of stunted growth. Some eight per cent of children in Turkey are underweight.
IDD constitute a serious public health problem: goitre affects 30.5 per cent of the population and as much as 68.5 per cent in high-risk regions. UNICEF is seeking to ensure that all salt produced in Turkey is iodised and also advocating for stronger legislation in favour of compulsory salt iodisation.
The TDHS reports the nationwide average for iodised salt consumption to be just under 70 per cent. Last year, an extra 15,000 tonnes of salt were produced for the market.
New legislation, introduced in June 2004 prohibits the sale of non-iodised food grade salt in retail outlets -- discouraging household consumption of non-iodised salt.
Safe Motherhood
The MMR continues to be high at 46 per 100,000 live births, reflecting problems in both education and the quality of antenatal care and care at delivery. Increased numbers of antenatal care visits should be sustained and improved to reduce rates of maternal and neonatal mortality.
Emergencies
Emergency and disaster preparedness focuses on the special needs of children and women during and after catastrophically disruptive events. Working closely with government agencies and other United Nations (UN) sister organisations, UNICEF aims to institute measures which will mitigate the impact of disasters such as earthquakes, on this most vulnerable group. Serious problems have been identified in the past such as poor distribution of aid materials, problems reaching affected areas and the inability to organise search and rescue teams quickly in response to a disaster.
Partnerships
Aside from partnerships with the various government ministries and concerned non-governmental organisations, UNICEF also works closely with the other UN agencies, building on the Common Country Assessment (CCA) and the UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF).
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