Youth participation
All adolescents should grow up strong and well informed, and their voices must be heard
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UNICEF Turkey’s aim is to support the conditions for young people throughout the country to learn about, explore and propose solutions to the issues that affect them, and express their views and suggestions directly to local national leaders and decision-makers.
UNICEF and the Turkish government cooperate to support institutional mechanisms for children’s participation, including the work of provincial child rights committees and the national Children’s Forum.
The Children’s Forum is held annually on the occasion of World Children’s Day and includes a visit to Parliament by child leaders. In 2018, the 19th National Children’s Forum organized by UNICEF and the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Services (MoFLSS) focused on child labour. As a result, child representatives from all over Turkey, including Turkish and refugee children, presented a list of recommendations to eliminate child labour to the President and to Parliament. The key recommendation – to establish provincial units for combatting child labour – was subsequently included in the Government’s second 100-Day Action Plan announced in December.
Children's Forum:
The Child Advisory Board (CAB), made up of 20 children (10 girls and 10 boys) are selected by Provincial Child Delegates every two years. Every year the CAB organises the Children's Forum, an event where children debate issues affecting them and make submissions to national leaders and calling for the issues to be addressed.
