İHD: 61 Children Targeted by Security Forces Die in Conflict Zone in 2015

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Human Rights Association (İHD) has issued its report of Children’s Rights Violations in Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia in 2015.

It has been pointed out to the violation of fundamental human rights protected by national and international regulations such as the violation of the rights to live, housing, health, education and other social and cultural rights.

Violation of the right to life

“61 children who have become targets of security forces in 2015 in the region during curfews,  and due to violations of gun use authorization, and warning to stop have lost their lives. 55 Children have been injured or condemned to live for the rest of their lives with permanent physical damage.

Custodies, arrests

According to the date of İHD, in the same period, 400 children have been taken into custody in raids and mass demonstrations. 66 others have been arrested.

Five children have been exposed to torture under custody and 13 others have become victims of violation outside of custody grounds or on the street.

Clash environment

İHD has stated that 16 children have lost their lives and 27 others injured in the region on the basis of their studies conducted on the fields of exposure to clash environment, child killings due to official errors and negligence, unidentified assailants, mines and unattended explosives, children shot on border lines and suspicious child deaths.

Impunity

The association has noted that the situation of impunity has also played a role on continuing rights violations.

“Judicial bodies not conducting effective and fair investigations, concealing perpetrators and not bringing them before court encourage enforcement units which have committed crimes and incite them to maintain the rights violations”.

Prisons

Another issue İHD has laid emphasis on was the violation of right children have been exposed in juvenile detention houses.

The association has pointed out that the children in Diyarbakır D-type Closed Prison and other prison premises in the region had been exposed to many human right violations such as torture, maltreatment, health problems, deprivation of social activities and psychological support in addition to other human rights violations caused by physical conditions.  

“A majority of the children have been taken into custody by torture and exposed to physical violence. They have been put into prison without knowing what they have been accused of had to experience a very long process of investigation. The treatment of the severely ill children has been hindered who had to face arbitrary behaviour”.

Domestic violence

The report has also drawn attention to the domestic violence and violence against children in social life noting that 19 children have committed and two others attempted suicide.

11 children have been killed due to violence amongst whom seven have been victims of domestic violence. Eight children have been subjected to sexual assault in social sphere. (YY/DG)