Cartoon Network collaborates with UNICEF Türkiye to raise awareness on bullying Cedi Osman’s message to children “Be A Buddy Not A Bully”

Focusing on drawing attention to peer bullying and conveying "buddyship" messages to children with the project "Be A Buddy Not A Bully", Cartoon Network expanded its reach by collaborating with UNICEF Türkiye. UNICEF Türkiye National Ambassador, national basketball player Cedi Osman addressed children as part of the cooperation and emphasized the importance of friendship through team spirit.

Cartoon Network also collaborated with UNICEF expanding the scope of Be A Buddy Not A Bully project, which started in 2016 to raise awareness about peer bullying.

This year’s supporter of Cartoon Network which focuses on conveying awareness messages to children in their language through the characters they love and the successful names they take as an example, is the national basketball player Cedi Osman, UNICEF National Ambassador. Cedi Osman, who was in front of the camera on the basketball court for Be A Buddy Not A Bully project talked about the power of team spirit and the importance of friendship.

Unicef National Ambassador and National Basketball Player Cedi Osman, said that he knows that peer bullying is a serious problem not only in Türkiye but also among children all over the world; “As a basketball player, I know very well the importance of friendship and supporting each other under all circumstances. This is exactly why it is very valuable for me to call out to the children from a place where they are used to seeing me, from the field, and to explain the importance of friendship through team spirit.”

Regina De Dominicis, UNICEF Representative to Türkiye added: “ The most vulnerable children face a higher risk of being bullied. These are often children from communities that are marginalized, children from poor families, children with disabilities or migrant and refugee children. Bullying can happen both in person or online. Cyberbullying often occurs over social media, SMS/text or instant message, email, or any online platform where children interact. Each of us has a critical role to play to raise awareness and prevent this issue and working in partnership with key stakeholders, from parents, to teachers, from private sector to children and young people themselves.”

WarnerMedia Türkiye, Middle East, Greece and Cyprus Children's Programming and Broadcast Director Zümrüt Pakoy; ‘As Cartoon Network, we act with the awareness that if we do not take action regarding Peer Bullying, this will lead to unavoidable behavioral disorders for future generations. That's why we've been trying to reach children all over the world with our awareness messages for years. We have done many different studies for our project until today. This year, as part of our valuable cooperation, we rolled up our sleeves with our national athlete Cedi Osman, UNICEF goodwill ambassador, to attract the attention of children and raise awareness. Together we will continue to say ‘Be A Buddy Not A Bully.'"