Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founding Rector Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, “We see many child deaths in war right now. Last night, we learned that a hospital in Gaza was bombed. Elephants fight, children are crushed…” he said.
TBMM Child Rights Commission Founding President Halide İncekara: “While I wanted to proudly share with you all the beautiful work done, I encountered a genocide, and it continues relentlessly.”
The ‘International Symposium on Monitoring Child Rights: Global Examples’, organized by Üsküdar Üniversitesi, was held at the Nermin Tarhan Conference Hall.
The opening speeches of the ‘International Symposium on Monitoring Child Rights: Global Examples’ were delivered by Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founding Rector and Chairman of the Board of Trustees Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, UNICEF Turkey Representative Paolo Marchi, Üsküdar Üniversitesi Rector Prof. Dr. Nazife Güngör, Üsküdar Üniversitesi Child Development Department Head Prof. Dr. Nurper Ülküer, and Dr. Ziba Vaghri from the Globalchild Program at the University of New Brunswick, Canada.
The message of Radiye Sezer Katırcıoğlu, President of the TBMM Child Rights Commission, who was a speaker at the symposium but could not attend, was read. Katırcıoğlu stated, “Although I very much wanted to attend the symposium, our parliamentary general assembly work continues intensely due to the child massacres in Palestine, our heartland.”
Child rights understood as child protection rights
Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founding Rector and Chairman of the Board of Trustees Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that the issue of child rights is often misunderstood, wrongly perceived as child protection rights, and that it is not clear whether the public truly understands what child rights entail.
Prof. Dr. Tarhan drew attention to the problems experienced in parent-child relationships, saying, “A child is our child, but they do not belong to us; they are not our slave. Viewing the mother-child, father-child relationship like a master-slave relationship is one of the mistakes made regarding child rights.”
Over-protectiveness raises children with low self-confidence
Prof. Dr. Tarhan explained that children are not allowed to individuate and become captains of their own ships, that possessive mothers or fathers hover over children like helicopters, that over-protectiveness raises children with low self-confidence, and that instead of attachment, dependence on the family develops in children.
“A child should feel both a part of the family and free,” said Tarhan, noting that an important aspect of child rights is that ‘the family should be a safe space’.
Prof. Dr. Tarhan also drew attention to whether there is emotional abuse or neglect in the family, stating that when parents work, a healthy relationship cannot be established between parent and child, and that no one can replace the mother in a child's life between the ages of 0-3.
A mother cannot be a psychologist…
Tarhan explained that in some families, despite being in the same environment as their children, there are mothers and fathers who maintain a distant relationship, and children grow up with emotional neglect. He also noted that sometimes there can be a lot of criticism at home, every meal turns into a lecture, and the relationship between mother and child is troubled.
Prof. Dr. Tarhan said, “A mother cannot be a teacher, a mother cannot be a psychologist. A mother should live her role as a mother. A mother should not be like a captain, like the captain of the child's life; she should be like a pilot. The child will manage their own life, and the mother will be a reference point, offering ideas, and leaving the decision to the child.”
Tarhan stated that children should be taught emotional regulation at an early age, that this should be taught within the family, and also noted that children whose every wish is granted will be problematic, not happy.
Emphasizing the importance of teaching children that their mind should manage their emotions, Tarhan said that if this is not taught, prolonged adolescences are experienced, and there are adults who behave like children even at 30 years old.
Tarhan also stated that children whose every wish is granted will be poorly raised, and noted that the goal when raising children should not be to raise happy children, but to prepare them for life.
Elephants fight, children are crushed…
“Another issue that harms child rights is wars,” said Prof. Dr. Tarhan, stating that the World Health Organization speaks of 3 major dangers: global income inequality, climate change, and human loneliness.
Prof. Dr. Tarhan continued as follows:
“Children pay the heaviest price for human loneliness. Children are neglected, they remain victims. We are currently seeing many child deaths in war. Last night, we learned that a hospital in Gaza was bombed. 500 people are dying. Civilians are dying. I could not pass this topic without drawing attention to it at a child rights symposium. Elephants fight, grass is trampled. Children are crushed. I say, it's a good thing nuclear weapons exist. If there were no nuclear weapons in the world, there would be very big wars. The fear of nuclear weapons stops major wars.”
The conscience of the majority must intervene…
Stating that war is not an option but a consequence, Tarhan said, “Starting an artificial war under the guise of a 'preventive war' and intervening with civilians in that region is, in my opinion, one of the greatest evils done to humanity.”
Tarhan said that if the conscience of the majority of society in the world intervened, malevolent powers would also feel the need to restrain themselves.
UNICEF Turkey Representative
UNICEF Turkey Representative Paolo Marchi explained that UNICEF, in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, has obligations regarding the monitoring of the rights stipulated in the convention.
Marchi, stating their responsibility in monitoring the rights in the convention, noted that they provide support to countries regarding child rights monitoring and are also carrying out projects in Turkey.
Accepting the child as an individual and treating the child as an individual
Üsküdar Üniversitesi Rector Prof. Dr. Nazife Güngör emphasized the great importance of accepting and treating children as individuals, and continued as follows:
“Perhaps one of the significant differences between developed and undeveloped societies emerges precisely here. Accepting a child as an individual from birth, raising them as an individual with their mental and emotional structure, or telling them not to speak in front of adults, saying ‘you have no right to speak’, and raising them by treating them as immature, not yet an individual… In this case, the child will miss out on becoming the subject of life when they grow up.”
The Convention on the Rights of the Child has been with us for 30 years…
Üsküdar Üniversitesi Child Development Department Head Prof. Dr. Nurper Ülküer began her speech by thanking everyone present at this important meeting regarding the implementation of child rights. Ülküer noted the following:
“The Convention on the Rights of the Child, signed by almost all countries in the world, has been with us for 30 years. For 30 years, this convention, along with child rights, has repeatedly reminded us that a child is an individual.
Khalil Gibran says, ‘Your children are not your children; they are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.’ The Convention on the Rights of the Child also states this. It sees children as individuals who chart their own path, and we can only be guides on this path. The Convention on the Rights of the Child is not about protection or necessity; it has brought us a perspective where we can see children as competent individuals. In other words, it has moved us from a needs-based perspective to a rights-based perspective. This will be one of the most important messages of this meeting.”
Ülküer reminded that, as part of the Globalchild program, the University of New Brunswick wanted to initiate a study and launched an initiative on what inspiring stories would emerge in the implementation of child rights, explaining that Üsküdar Üniversitesi is one of the five university members of this project.
Ülküer said, “This project is for 5 years. For the first 2 years, we only worked on criteria. There was the best interest of the child, fairness, equality, ethics, and we worked on how we could find inspiring projects with all of these. The first pilot study was conducted in North America. This is the first meeting where the steering committee has come together. We are preparing to spread these works all over the world, and these studies on child rights will serve as examples for countries.”
It is necessary to stand by children
Dr. Ziba Vaghri from the Globalchild Program at the University of New Brunswick, Canada, pointed to the importance of child rights in the 21st Century, stating, “Our planet faces significant problems. There are many issues like climate change, wars, food security. Children also face many problems. We need to stand by children.”
Dr. Ziba Vaghri said, “Your country and government have made commitments regarding children's rights. These include free health and education... What is even more important at a global level is that the founding President of this country, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, declared April 23 as Children's Day. This is a great honor and example.”
Plaque presentation was held
At the symposium, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan presented plaques to UNICEF Turkey Representative Paolo Marchi and Kirsten Sandberg, former President of the University of Oslo and the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child.
The topic of “Child Rights in Turkey from Past to Present” was discussed at the symposium
At the symposium; Kirsten Sandberg, former President of the University of Oslo and the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, made a presentation on “The Importance of Policies and Legal Frameworks in the Implementation of Child Rights within the Context of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child”, and Halide İncekara, Founding President of the TBMM Child Rights Commission, presented on “Child Rights in Turkey from Past to Present”.
Halide İncekara: “I believe we have the right to condemn evil”
Halide İncekara, Founding President of the TBMM Child Rights Commission, began her speech by saying, “I had planned to wear colorful clothes today, but after witnessing a genocide last night, I felt compelled to wear black. In fact, as I looked into all your eyes, wanting to proudly share with you all the beautiful work done, hoping for light, I encountered a genocide, and it continues relentlessly.”
İncekara also stated that she sometimes wondered, ‘Are we working in vain with the struggle we’ve waged for years, the speeches that filled halls, the books we published?’, and continued as follows:
“A hope arises, and I think, where would this oppression have gone if we hadn't done these things? Therefore, we will continue to share good examples, and we must, even as all the bad examples are thrust upon us. While standing with good and strengthening it, I believe we also have the right to condemn evil.
We saw the wars in Iraq and Syria, children fleeing from war. Even if we forget those, Ukraine is before our eyes. Children there are still living in agony. Ukraine's wound has not healed, and the genocide in Gaza has begun. I cannot help but feel sad, wondering if human rights and child rights will not emerge from the comfortable realms of politics.”
A session on Global Monitoring of Child Rights was also held at the symposium
In the session titled 'Global Monitoring of Child Rights', chaired by Prof. Dr. Nurper Ülküer, Dr. Ziba Vaghri delivered a speech on “Introduction to the Global Child Program: A Tool for Fulfilling Responsibilities Towards Children – The Importance of Supporting Countries in Collecting Accurate Data for Child Rights Monitoring”, a representative from the Ministry of Family and Social Services presented the “2023-2028 Turkey National Child Rights Strategy and Action Plan”, and Child Rights Lawyer Dr. Noam Peleg from the University of New South Wales, Australia, spoke on “The Child's Right to Development and Its Monitoring – A Critical Approach”.
Practices to Inspire the Implementation of Child Rights
In the session titled “Practices to Inspire the Implementation of Child Rights” at the symposium, Prof. Dr. Jeffrey Gloghagen from the University of Florida, Faculty of Medicine, International Society of Social Pediatricians, spoke on “The Role of International Organizations in Supporting Child Rights”, Dr. Raul Mercer from Flasco University, Argentina, and Dr. Ziba Vaghri presented on “Inspirights; Inspiring Good Practices for Child Rights – Globally Supporting Countries' CRC Implementations”, Dr. Leyla Namazova from the Eastern European Pediatricians Association spoke on “Supporting Child Rights Practices in Eastern European Region Countries”, and Attorney Şahin Antakyalıoğlu, President of the Association for the Eradication of Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children, delivered a speech on “Monitoring Child Rights in Turkey – Inspiring Examples”.
In the closing session of the symposium, which was also broadcast live on ÜÜTV, Prof. Dr. Arif Aktuğ Ertekin, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at Üsküdar Üniversitesi, delivered the closing speech.