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While many things are being said about the people's problems with or expectations from the local administrations ahead of the March 31 local elections, children are always ignored in this respect.
The Human Rights Association (İHD) has organized workshops for children aged between 7 and 12, to make their voices heard and to give a platform to them to children to make them express their expectations.
'I want a big place with many toys'
So, what are the children's expectations?
"I want sports halls in all neighborhoods. Football, basketball, gymnastics, ballet, ice skating, and swimming pools."
"Fewer cars in traffic."
"Schools buses should be charge-free."
"There should be two canteens in schools rather than one."
"We should have free spaces to ride bicycles.
"I want to play volleyball. There is no volleyball pitch in the primary school but there is one at the middle school."
"I want parks everywhere to play with my friends."
"There should be places to watch movies for free in our neighborhoods."
"We should have free and unlimited internet."
"There should be a big place where there are many toys."
'Children want to hear projects, not excuses'
The Children's Rights Commission of the İHD made a press conference, asking the candidates, "What will you do for the children when you are elected?"
Özgür Barış Demir, Gülseren Yoleri, Cihan Aydoğdu from the İHD attended the conference. Aryen Aslan read the press statement, which says the following in brief:
"In the topics like a healthy environment or education planning, the municipalities chose to get rid of responsibility to this day, mentioning lack of authorization or possibilities.
Yet, they can take complementary measures in every subject and create possibilities. For this reason, children want to hear not excuses but projects regarding how their needs will be met."
'Children grow up without knowing their streets'
"Because of irregular urbanization, structuring aimed at economic interests, and "concretion" totally covering the soil, the number of children whose range of motion is narrowed, who cannot tour their city, growing up without knowing their streets, who do not have places to play, who are strangers to the soil, nature, and the living things apart from themselves increase every day.
"Poverty is one of the biggest problems of children. Because sufficient measures protect children are not taken, their employment, involvement in crime, homelessness, and abuse cannot be prevented.
"While the problems are not limited to these, even the problems we counted here make the children's healthy growth impossible."
The İHD also referred to Articles 6 and 31 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, saying, "Children don't vote, adults vote but children bear with the results of the adults' votes. Children have as much right as adults on the cities." (AÖ/VK)
