“Education in Mother Tongue Not Political, But Universal Right”

Diyarbakır Bar Association Children’s Right Center Chairman Ahmet Özmen commented to bianet on the 3 reservations [Articles 17, 29 and 30] that Turkey put Convention on the Rights of the Child for 20 years. 

“These reservations are related to education in mother tongue and identity rights. We know that the official ideology excludes Kurds,” he said. 

The same attitude 

Özmen continued that even though the recognition of Kurdish identity and right to education in mother tongue has been discussed more productively compared to 1994 when Turkey ratified the convention with reservations, he said that “the situation hasn’t changed”. 

“Not removing the reservations is a sign that the resistance against Kurdish problem still continues.”

The attitude must change

“Unfortunately, when education in mother tongue is discussed, it is always through Kurdish people’s demands and not through the convention. This creates a barrier for the parties on the resolution of the problem. 

“If the government officials looks at the issue as not what Kurdish people take as a condition but a necessity of international law, it will both open the path to resolution and lead to children’s empowerment with their rights.

“The removal of these reservations will also alleviate the government,” he said. 

No solution despite demand 

Expressing his pessimism on the removal of the reservation in the near future, Özmen reminded that the government made no previous efforts on the topic.

“The shut situation lingers. Reports are being drafted relentlessly, people express their demand, but there is still no solution,” he concluded. (YY/BM)

* Click here to view United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. 

* Click here to read the article in Turkish.