‘We Will Celebrate This Year’s Children's Day with Greta and Her Fellow Friends’

* Photograph: Ayşegül Özbek / bianet

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The Human Rights Association (İHD) has released a statement for April 23 Children's Day and said, "We will celebrate this year's Children's Day, struggling along with Greta Thunberg from Sweden and her fellow friends."

In the statement of the association, it has been underlined that children are asked to celebrate the Children's Day as if it was a real festive day and added that the İHD will no take part in this unrealistic picture.

'Fellow children making a call to claim our world'

Emphasizing that "at a moment when there is not much to celebrate in the name of children or the future," the association has continued as follows:

"That is why, we want to celebrate this day, which is dedicated to children, with Greta Thunberg and her fellow friends, who call us to struggle and lay claim to our future and the world with their big dreams and willpower.

"We will be a part of the dreams and struggles of all children who have big dreams for the future, we will cheer up with the unending hopes and determination of children and, in this way, we will also raise our hopes.

"Today, we will again stay away from you and listen to the voices coming from the hearts of millions of children who have filled the streets of hundreds of cities for climate, for our future and we will live this day reserved for children with children themselves."

'Without struggling for their lives...'

Concluding the statement, the İHD has stated that it will be a real festive day for the children when the following conditions are met:

"When children can run freely without stepping on a mine or being overrun by armored vehicles;

"When they do not struggle for their lives in floods or hurricanes caused by climate events that are getting more and more insane;

"When they can make choices freely and their right to participate in governance is not disrupted by corruption and injustice;

"When we can offer them a world where they have their right of education health, life, freedom, expression, assembly and association as well as all types of social and economic opportunities...

"Then, the laughters of children will never stop and we will do only one thing when this day comes: We will laugh along with them." (AÖ/SD)