Children's Rights

Singing in Kurdish, Turkish, Armenian, Arabic and Ladino (the language spoken by the Sephardic Jews in Turkey), the folk group Kardeş Türküler have always emphasised the brotherhood of people.

Yesterday (4 June), they performed a concert in support of the many children in Turkey who have been imprisoned under the Anti-Terrorism Law.

The concert was part of an event organised by the Iniative for Justice for Children, a group which has been lobbying on behalf of the children in jail.

Lawyer Filiz Kerestecioğlu and psychologist Banu Vardar took part in the event, as did actor Serdar Orçin, who said that because most of the children on trial and in prison were Kurdish, some people did not feel concerned.

Kerestecioğlu presented the legal situation, saying that an amendment of the Anti-Terrorism Law would not suffice. Rather, an awareness of the fact that those on trial were children had to be created.

"What is actually currently on trial is protesting against injustices, being young, being dissident. There need to be wide-spread campaigns to prevent such a hostility towards young people and to develop the awareness of rights."

Vardar spoke about the educational problems the detained children faced.

"Once these children are released, they will not be able to return to school. Schools are refusing to take them on. These children are being pushed somewhere else, step by step. Not only with them, but also with their younger siblings and cousins, we can see anger growing."

She further criticised the treatment the children received in court and said that the initiative had reached 20 MPs. Although they have all expressed concern, she said, they are not aware of the urgency of the situation.

Following a slide show showing photographs of the conditions that the detained children are kept in (taken by the Diyarbakır Bar Association), the Kardeş Türküler group came on stage. They sang a mother's lament for her child in Turkish, and songs in other languages dedicated to children who are not experiencing a carefree childhood. (BÇ/AG)