RIGHTS

Date published: 19 March 2019 09:55

~ Modified On: 19 March 2019 10:15

6 min Read

RESEARCH ON CHILDREN UNDER RISK BY TOÇEV FOUNDATION

‘Convention on the Rights of the Child Not Learned in 30 Years’

The research of “How Much Do We Know About Children Under Risk?” has shown that though the Convention on the Rights of the Child has been heard by most people, its content has been largely unknown though it has been 30 years since it was signed.

İstanbul

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In the 25th year of its establishment, the Tüvana Foundation for the Education of Children Willing to Learn (TOÇEV), which focuses on children under risk especially in education and employment, has released a report entitled "How Much Do We Know About Children Under Risk?"

The research has shown that though it has been 30 years since the Convention on the Rights of the Child was signed, its content has still been largely unknown by most people.

The majority of people participating in the research have expressed the opinion that the cooperation between state institutions and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) should be improved and enhanced.

872 people participated in the research

The research of "How Much Do We Know About Children Under Risk?" was conducted with the participation of 872 people between December 2018 and December 2019. While 70.8 percent of the participants have bachelor's degree, 14.5 percent of them have master's degree, 5.8 percent are high-school graduates, 3.4 percent are primary or secondary school graduates.

Here are some of the highlights from the research:

* While 46.4 percent of the participants state that they are members of a civil society, the remaining 53.6 percent say that they are not.

* When they are asked whether they have heard about the Convention of the Rights of the Child, 74.1 percent state that they have hear about it while 25.8 percent say that they have not.

* When they are asked who is considered a child, 55 percent of the participants say that the ones between the ages of 0 and 18 are children, 30 percent say that the ones between the ages of 0 and 12 are children, 10 percent say that the ones between the ages of 2 and 15 are children and 5 percent say that those between the ages of 2 and 18 are children.

Considering that the Convention of the Rights of the Child refers to every person between the ages of 0 to 18 as a child, the results of the research have shown that though more than 70 percent of the participants have heard about the Convention, its content has still been largely unknown.

"Who are children under risk?"

* When they are asked about whom they define as children under risk, 85 percent refer to children working on the street, 35 percent refer to children playing outside alone, 88 percent refer to abused children, 29 percent to children going to school alone, 60 percent to children of poor families, 81.3 percent to children living on the street, 63 percent to children with disabilities, 46.5 percent to children with a lack of self-confidence, 71 percent to children of divorced parents and 79.5 percent refer to neglected children.

When these results are considered, it can be commented that the opinions of the participants overlap with the definitions made in the literature.

"Works in Turkey are insufficient"

* 50 percent of the participants think that works undertaken in Turkey for children under risk are insufficient. While 34 percent of them find the works partially sufficient, 16 percent say that they are sufficient.

* When they are asked about the most important problems of children between the ages of 6 and 18, 59.7 percent of the participants refer to the system of education, 28.5 percent refer to their interest in digital devices and 24.45 percent refer to the interest of parents in digital devices.

Turkey has expressed reservations for the following articles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child:

Article 17

States Parties recognize the important function performed by the mass media and shall ensure that the child has access to information and material from a diversity of national and international sources, especially those aimed at the promotion of his or her social, spiritual and moral well-being and physical and mental health.

To this end, States Parties shall:

(a) Encourage the mass media to disseminate information and material of social and cultural benefit to the child and in accordance with the spirit of article 29;

(b) Encourage international co-operation in the production, exchange and dissemination of such information and material from a diversity of cultural, national and international sources;

(d) Encourage the mass media to have particular regard to the linguistic needs of the child who belongs to a minority group or who is indigenous;

(e) Encourage the development of appropriate guidelines for the protection of the child from information and material injurious to his or her well-being, bearing in mind the provisions of articles 13 and 18.

Article 29

1. States Parties agree that the education of the child shall be directed to:

(a) The development of the child's personality, talents and mental and physical abilities to their fullest potential;

(b) The development of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and for the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations;

(c) The development of respect for the child's parents, his or her own cultural identity, language and values, for the national values of the country in which the child is living, the country from which he or she may originate, and for civilizations different from his or her own;

(d) The preparation of the child for responsible life in a free society, in the spirit of understanding, peace, tolerance, equality of sexes, and friendship among all peoples, ethnic, national and religious groups and persons of indigenous origin;

(e) The development of respect for the natural environment.

2. No part of the present article or article 28 shall be construed so as to interfere with the liberty of individuals and bodies to establish and direct educational institutions, subject always to the observance of the principle set forth in paragraph 1 of the present article and to the requirements that the education given in such institutions shall conform to such minimum standards as may be laid down by the State.

Article 30

In those States in which ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities or persons of indigenous origin exist, a child belonging to such a minority or who is indigenous shall not be denied the right, in community with other members of his or her group, to enjoy his or her own culture, to profess and practise his or her own religion, or to use his or her own language.

(AÖ/SD)

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