Children's rights: A most vexing Turkish puzzle

BACK TO BASICS

Get the basics right is the primary message from children in Turkey as the world marks the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Several elementary school children and high school students responded to the anniversary of the convention with comments on matters such as equal distribution of food and water for all children in the world, the right to play, clean air, the right to have an identity, the right to freedom or being a good listener. Read a few of their responses in “Get the basics right, say children.”

MUCH LEFT TO DO

Friday marks the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, a document Turkey has signed and ratified. But the lack of juvenile courts and an independent public guardianship system, together with widespread child labor, suggest a difficult future for children in Turkey. For more details, check out “Turkish children's rights in the spotlight.”

‘FOCUS ON KIDS’

Parliament Speaker Mehmet Ali Şahin, in a call to create better conditions for children, urges: “Let's cut military spending and direct these funds to children. ... As long as countries manage to protect their children, the future of the world will be more secure,” Şahin said. “It is the main responsibility of decision makers to offer children a more livable world, isn’t it?” For more of the Parliament speaker’s speech in Parliament, go to “Şahin urges defense budget cuts, more spending on children.”

MUSIC FOR PEACE

“The music did not make much change in my life, but it changed me from the inside,” said Yunus Altıkanat, 12, one of the students who has learned to play the accordion through the “Music for Peace” project. Some 260 children have received music training, mainly in playing the accordion, since 2005 thanks to the Music for Peace project, which received the third Deutsche Bank Urban Age Award on Nov. 4. Read about the project and its coordinator in “Children play music for peace, dreams and fun.”

TOURING ANTALYA

Underprivileged children in the Mediterranean city of Antalya have been given the chance to enjoy the many beautiful characteristics of the region. The Travel Agencies Managers Association, or SAYD, signed a contract with the Antalya Directorate of Education to initiate a social responsibility project for thousands of underprivileged children who will now get the chance to visit popular tourism destinations in the region. Reporter Betul Çal delves further into the conditions at Antalya area schools in “Children in Antalya given a city tour.”