Derya Yanık, the Minister of Family and Social Services, has stated that Turkey signed the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1990 and that the Committees on the Rights of the Child established in this direction are one of the best practices in the world in the field of child participation.

In cooperation with the Ministry of Family and Social Services and UNICEF, the opening program of the 22nd National Children's Forum has been held with the theme of “Child in a Digitalizing World” on the occasion of World Children’s Day.

Before the program, Derya Yanık and members of the protocol has toured the exhibition consisting of paintings made by a youth under state protection.

In her speech at the opening, Yanık has reminded that the Children's Day is celebrated on the anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, signed on 20 November 1989, and has said that Turkey was the 43rd country that signed this convention in 1990.

Expressing that the convention, which was prepared to protect children and improve their living conditions, especially in regions where war and poverty is dominant, has a universal character, Yanık has stated that as a country that adopts the principle of “best interests of the child”, they see this convention as very significant and they try to implement the requirements of the convention for each child. Noting that Committees on the Rights of the Child have been established in this direction, Yanık has said, “Our Committees on the Rights of the Child are one of the best practices in the world in the field of child participation. This makes us very glad. Surely, the biggest share here is our children, the precious young people here, who implement these activities.”

“We have to take our waste perception out of the concept of garbage”

Yanık has said that a more diverse and qualified understanding of responsibility is required for a livable world than in the past.

Emphasizing that there are also obligations towards nature and living beings, Yanık has stated that the Zero Waste Project, which is carried out under the auspices of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's wife Emine Erdoğan, is the product of such a sense of responsibility.

Pointing out that in order to control waste within the framework of sustainable development principles and to leave a clean and livable world to future generations, Yanık has continued as follows:

“We have to take our waste perception out of the concept of garbage. From houses to factories, from villages to cities, we have to reduce our waste and recycle it everywhere and in every way. With this awareness and belief, we carried out our Zero Waste Project between 1 July 2019 and 31 December 2019 through our Committees on the Rights of the Child in 81 provinces. In line with our 'Hand in Hand for a Cleaner World' Campaign, our children who are members of the Committees on the Rights of the Child has received training on zero waste and shared these trainings with their friends. Today, they act with this awareness.”

“As of November, 1.368 contents have been intervened in”

Yanık has said that in the digital world, where the forum, which will start today, concentrates on its subject, it is now necessary to seriously develop policies and services.

Reminding that they have formed a “Social Media Working Group” within the Ministry in order to identify the risks that children may encounter through digital environments and to carry out preventive activities, Yanık has said, “ The group intervenes with the cooperation of stakeholder institutions, Information Technologies and Communications Authority and the Department of Combating Cybercrime of  General Directorate of Security, for content that may adversely affect the development of children and where there is a possibility of neglect and abuse against children. As a result of the activities done by this group, 1.368 content has been intervened as of November 2021.”

Explaining that they are running a campaign called “Let Children Grow with Peers, Not Screens”, Yanık has informed that as of November 2021, 182.123 children and 18.160 families have participated in the activities of the campaign.

Noting that personnel of private kindergartens and day care centers and families receiving services from these institutions have also been trained to protect children from digital risks and to raise privacy awareness, Yanık has pointed out that as of November, they have provided Digital Risk Protection Training to a total of 15.771 people, including 8.285 parents and 7.486 personnel.

Regina de Dominicis, UNICEF Turkey Representative, has pointed out that Turkey, as one of the proud signatories of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, carries out dedicated work towards the development of children's rights, and has said, “We are also experiencing a climate crisis within the framework of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic this year. Within this framework, the realization of the children's forum is very important.”