As far as children are concerned, 2007 brought the following developments:
Some developments
- On 22 November, the International Law on Child Kidnapping was passed. Turkey has ratified this law, which goes a great way to solving the problems of children from broken homes.
- There were changes made to the Law on Social Services and the Society for the Protection of Children, which legally framed the types of institutions for the care and social rehabilitation of children.
- The Agenda (Gündem) Children's Association has worked towards the creation of a policy on children.
- Twenty institutions have come together and founded the "Platform for the Prevention of Child Neglect and Exploitation".
The economic situation of children
According to Turkish Confederation of Workers' Trade Unions (Türk-Is), the poverty line was set at 605,22 YTL (around 355 Euros) for the month of November 2006. This meant that at least 2,473,000 families started the year 2007 on the bread line, i.e. with a monthly income below that. If an average of two children per family is assumed, this means that around 5 million children were left hungry in 2007. They have suffered malnutrition and deficiencies in mental and physical development which will cause unrecoverable damage.
Much neglect and abuse
According to official numbers, 667,000 girls and 444,000 boys are not going ot school.
Children have mostly come to the attention as victims of physical violence and sexual abuse. The media have continued to violate the right of children to maintain privacy.
Frequent news were girls in primary and middle school wearing headscarves and ceremonies which children had to attend.
Had there been effective mechanisms in place to prevent neglect and exploitation, many events could have been prevented. The latest case was the exposure of 22 boarding school students and 6 teachers to tuberculosis microbes.
As in 2006, one of the most important problems facing children is the danger of living in an area of armed conflict.
Around the world, many children died or lost their health in war, and many children continue to live without the most basic rights. Some children even use arms themselves. We do not know exactly how the culture of violence that is also created in Turkey by armed conflict is affecting children.
A positive development has been the opening of new children's courts and of protection and rehabilitation centres for children who have been pushed into crime.
However, there is no network of services or a comprehensive policy towards children. In 2006, the "Prime Ministerial Circular on Preventing Violence Towards Women and Children" was publihsed, but no effective or lasting mechanisms have been put into place. This needs to be amended in 2008.
Turkey's treatment of girls in particular is shown up by the fact that a man who, when 30 years old, married a 15-year old girl, could become President. This shows that much remains to be done in order to increase public awareness of neglect and exploitation.
What needs to be done in 2008?
There needs to be coooperation on creating mechanisms which prevent child neglect and exploitation.
As a matter of urgency,
- Marriages at an early age need to be prevented.
- The employment of children in bad conditions has to be ended
- Policies which impoverish children need to be changed. Services must be offered not only to children living under the poverty line but also around the poverty line.
- In order to make up for the negative effects of armed conflict, there must be educational, social and cultural support.
- There must be effective and institutional services aimed at children in order to prevent violence and "honour" killings. (SA/GG/AG)
