Üsküdar University Founding Rector, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, evaluated the topic of 'The Palestine Attack and the Impact of Events on Children's Psychology' on Kanal 7 News Hour. Tarhan, drawing attention to the negative consequences of a lack of empathy in the physical violence incidents in Palestine, said, 'A child's most primary right is to live in a safe and warm family environment. This is a child's most fundamental right. Taking this right away is the greatest cruelty, the greatest atrocity. Those who support Children's Rights in the world do not adhere to Children's Rights.'
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan: 'In a child's small world, fear, not trust, comes to the fore'
In his evaluation, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan emphasized that parents should discuss this issue with their children. Tarhan; 'Some parents completely keep children away, don't let them watch, act as if it doesn't exist. Some parents are completely uninterested, leaving their children as they are, no matter how they are affected. The correct approaches here vary according to age group. When you expose children in the preschool 0-6 age group to this, a situation arises where the child feels that life in the world is not safe. In fact, in a child's small world, fear, not trust, comes to the fore. Related to this, a syndrome called 'bad world syndrome' is becoming very widespread in society. Fear emerges, along with irritability, exuberance, aggression, and withdrawal. The ideal approach here is for children to watch these programs in limited amounts, guided by their parents and in an age-appropriate manner, because such is a reality of life.' he stated.
'They are also fighting their own War of Independence'
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, speaking about the negative consequences of a lack of empathy in the physical violence incidents in Palestine; 'The Western World has completely forgotten empathy. We see this in the aggressor forces there. They are unaware of the pain, suffering, and sorrow people are enduring. We also experienced the War of Independence, we went through the same thing, we were also occupied. We experienced similar situations. There was the National Struggle, Wars of Independence; they are also fighting their own Wars of Independence. It is necessary to explain this to children in this way. If we explain these to children, they will see that it is an unavoidable reality of life. Beyond that, even if there were no war, to fully teach a preschool child about life, there are points like 'clean your room' or 'put things back where you found them,' not just the sweet, beautiful, fun sides of life. One of those points is taught by knowing that the fish in the aquarium will die. If a child doesn't know this, they will be horrified and scared when that fish dies. These are the realities of life. Wars are an undesirable reality of life. It may be fun in a computer game, but in real life, being able to empathize with it, putting oneself in the place of the victims there, that is, understanding what they feel, understanding the pain they endure, is important.' he stated.
'The human brain feels the need to make sense, so it goes back to the past'
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, emphasizing that 60 percent of deaths in Palestine are civilians and that all these events should be explained to children in a manner appropriate to their psyche and age group; 'In the world of young children, it is necessary to make sense of things in an age-appropriate way, because the human brain has a characteristic; when a new topic or new information arrives, it feels the need to make sense of it, so it goes back to the past. It makes assumptions based on past experiences or regarding the future. It makes sense of it and then makes decisions such as beneficial – useless, valid – invalid, safe – unsafe, good – not good, but when it cannot make sense of it, the child stores it in the brain's dangerous information file, leading to constant anxiety and stress. Therefore, healthy and correct sense-making requires parental guidance and explaining to the child that this is a reality of life, like an adult would, but without expecting an adult's reaction.' he said.
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan; 'A child's most primary right is to live in a safe and warm family environment.'
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, underlining that a child's most fundamental and primary right is to live in a safe and warm family environment; 'Let's make our stance clear on this matter. This is also a form of making sense; doing nothing, remaining neutral, means abandoning oneself to meaninglessness. Disapproving is also a way of making sense. When this is done, a child is told, 'I don't approve of this, this is wrong.' Just as there are always viruses that cause illness. These are social viruses, societal viruses; wars break out because of them; if concepts like friend – enemy, good – evil are taught to the child in this way, the child will make sense of it and feel at ease. It is very important to make the children there truly feel that we are with them, with our hands, our tongues, and our hearts. A child's most primary right is to live in a safe and warm family environment. This is a child's most fundamental right. They have the right to live in a safe family environment; taking this right away is the greatest cruelty, the greatest malevolence, the greatest atrocity; this must be known. Unfortunately, we are celebrating this Children's Rights Day very ironically this year. Those who support Children's Rights in the world do not adhere to Children's Rights,' he concluded his speech.
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