United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Turkey office signed a joint protocol with deans of five prominent universities’ faculties of communication to introduce children’s rights into curriculum.

UNICEF representative in Turkey, Reza Hossaini and Maria Calivis, Prof. Ozden Cankaya of Galatasaray University, Prof. Korkmaz Alemdar of Gazi University, Prof. Haluk Geray of Ankara University, Assoc. Prof. Asli Yapar Gonenc of Istanbul University and Assist. Prof. Hakan Ergul of Anatolian University was present at the signing ceremony on Friday.  

“This curriculum will provide new tools for young journalists” said Calivis. “In return, we hope that the voices of children will become more commonplace, their problems more visible.”

bianet’s Nadire Mater and Ertugrul Kurkcu also joined the ceremony. The project’s years of work and practice on introducing a children’s rights-based journalism –especially seminars given to local journalist- in the country amounted to such a success and Mater expressed pleasure to “see children’s rights entering curriculum in five universities”.

“We will continue our efforts to see this become prevalent, as well as adding human rights and women’s rights to the list.”

Professor Cankaya stressed the importance of guarding the rights of children in media content. Academics discussed further moves to introduce children’s rights as a prominent issue in universities across Turkey, as well as abroad.

The draft curriculum to be employed was put together by Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) in conjunction with UNICEF. A group of academics then adapted the programmed, foreseeing cultural, social and legislative peculiarities of Turkey.    

Courses will begin in September 2009 with a series of seminars attended by DIT staff. Credits of the courses will be accountable in EU universities.(BÇ/AGÜ)