Summary:
Every year on November 20th, the “Convention on the Rights of the Child” is celebrated as World Children’s Rights Day. However, children in Turkey are forced to live their childhood in the midst of war, economic, political, and social crises. The number of child laborers and children involved in crime reveals the state of children’s rights in the country. Every year, hundreds of children lose their lives in work-related accidents, thousands are pushed into crime, and tens of thousands struggle with poverty and hunger. Statistics from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) show that in 2022, there were 601,754 incidents involving children reported to or brought to security units. Of these incidents, 259,106 children were victims and 206,853 were involved in crime. Another TÜİK statistic highlights the extent of deep poverty among children in the country. According to the results of the 2022 Turkey Child Survey, children who cannot afford meat and fish are fed with bread and pasta and are deprived of art. The survey also revealed that only 34% of children have their own rooms. Lawyer Kardelen Ateşci, a member of the Istanbul Bar Association’s Children’s Rights Center Executive Board, stated that the Convention on the Rights of the Child is not being implemented as written, leading to an increase in child rights violations in Turkey. Ateşci emphasized the crisis in child rights caused by diseases, war, poverty, cheap labor, and migration, stating that children cannot access healthy food, water, and education, and are being killed, married at a young age, and arrested. Ignoring this crisis and turning a blind eye to the child in the midst of the crisis is to be complicit in child rights violations. The priority and most important thing is the rights of the child and ensuring their well-being and safety. A comprehensive state policy is essential.
ESG Risks:
1. Child labor
2. Child poverty and hunger
3. Lack of access to education
4. Child rights violations
5. Lack of healthy food and water for children
Companies mentioned: None
Keywords:
– Çocuk Haklarına Dair Sözleşme (Convention on the Rights of the Child)
– 20 Kasım Dünya Çocuk Hakları Günü (World Children’s Rights Day on November 20th)
– Eğitim alanında yapılan gerici değişiklikler (regressive changes in education)
– Çocuk işçi (child laborer)
– Suça sürüklenen çocuklar (children involved in crime)
– İstatistikler (statistics)
– Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu (Turkish Statistical Institute)
– Derin yoksulluk (deep poverty)
– Avukat (lawyer)
– Çocuk hak ihlalleri (child rights violations)
– Salgın hastalıklar (pandemic diseases)
– Ucuz işçi gücü (cheap labor)
– Göç (migration)
– Çocuk yaşta evlendiriliyor (married at a young age)
– Tutuklanıyor (arrested)
– Devlet politikası (state policy)