Mersin Metropolitan Municipality Women and Family Services Department, June 12th is celebrated to encourage the stance against child labor and raise awareness. “World Day Against Child Labour” within 'Let's Increase Children's Laughter, Not Child Labor' A seminar was organized with the motto. In the seminar held at Yunus Emre Cultural Center, Mersin University Department of Labor Economics and Industrial Relations Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Mualla Yüceol, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Assistant Professor Emine Merve Kalınlı, Mersin Police Department Child Branch Directorate Sociologist Faruk Arslan and Lawyer Kamil Ekinci took part as speakers from the expert names who approached the subject from different perspectives.
Child labor, one of today's problems, was addressed in every aspect.
Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Mualla Yüceol, who made evaluations on the socio-economic reasons of child labor and its place in the labor market, 'Child Labor and Forced Labor' In her presentation titled; she emphasized that the main reasons for child labor include poverty, inequalities in access to education and informal economy. Yüceol discussed the regional distribution of child labor and informed the participants about the current situation of child labor in the light of numerical data. Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist Dr. Lecturer Emine Merve Kalınlı explained what child labor is, its negative effects on children's mental health, the duties of families, the problem of child labor in the world and in Türkiye and the solutions that need to be made.
Lawyer Kamil Ekinci, who addressed the legal regulations, children's rights and legal methods of combating child labor, shared the current regulations in Türkiye and international law regarding combating child labor in his presentation. Stating that families and society should be made aware, Ekinci emphasized the importance of reporting violations and implementing the legal process. Sociologist Faruk Arslan from the Mersin Police Department Children's Branch Directorate provided information to the participants about the sanctions regarding children who work on the streets or illegally at an early age.
The seminar emphasized that children should have access to education, health and play rights without being forced to work, and gave the message that all segments of society have responsibilities in combating child labor. At the end of the seminar, informative materials were distributed to the participants, and the event was highly appreciated by the participants in terms of increasing social awareness.
Dokucu: “We started a great work with city stakeholders to solve children’s problems”
Metropolitan Municipality Women and Family Services Department Head Şerife Hasoğlu Dokucu stated that they have recently started a very nice study in Mersin that includes city stakeholders and as a result of this study, they organize meetings every 15 days to discuss children's issues and exchange information with these stakeholders. Dokucu said, “As a result of these meetings, we started to conduct such training and awareness activities. We will continue to conduct these activities in the future. As a result of this cooperation, all institutions sent an official to our event. Experts made very enlightening statements on the subject. We were also very pleased.” dedicate. Dokucu noted that the biggest problems affecting children today are screen time, substance abuse and nutritional deficiencies. “Children cannot access education due to these problems. As the Metropolitan Municipality, we have started to gather every 15 days and carry out such activities in order to solve our common problems that concern all of us, regardless of politics or differences. We are very happy. I hope we can get the results of these activities as output in a very short time.” gave expressions.
Prof. Dr. Yüceol: “Children are not objects of production, they are subjects of the future”
Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Mualla Yüceol noted that the fight against child labor is a problem that needs to be solved together, “It would be insufficient to reduce child labor to economic factors alone. Inequality in access to education, inadequacy of social support mechanisms and the informal economy cause children to enter the workforce at a young age. It should not be forgotten that children are not objects of production, but subjects of the future.” He called for joint action.
Dr. Lecturer Kalınlı: “Children are not workers, they are our future”
Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist Dr. Lecturer Emine Merve Kalınlı stated that children who take on responsibilities at an early age will suffer from a detrimental effect on their personality and development, and may experience anxiety, depression and various traumas. “Children must be loved, protected and supported. Allowing a child to work is stealing their childhood. Children are not workers, they are our future.” dedicate.
Arslan: “It is our duty to defend children’s right to life and future”
Faruk Arslan, a sociologist at the Mersin Police Department Children's Branch Directorate, drew attention to the invisible dangers of child labor and the risks that children working on the streets are exposed to, as a representative of an institution responsible for protecting children's right to life, safety and future. Arslan noted that children working on the streets are vulnerable not only to economic exploitation but also to physical and emotional abuse, and conveyed that the permanent solution for saving children from the streets is for every segment of society to support these children.
Ekinci: “We must take action on child labor and raise awareness in society”
Lawyer Kamil Ekinci, who stated that children who are forced to work at an early age or who are employed illegally are deprived of their right to be children, said that child labor is not only a crime but also a matter of conscience, and that every segment of society should listen to this common problem that concerns everyone. Ekinci stated that the protection of children is guaranteed by law, but that the legal dimension alone will not be sufficient to solve this problem, and that society should also take action and become conscious in this regard.
The seminar received full marks from the participants for its informativeness.
Özden Özceviz, one of the participants who said that he found the seminar very useful, "It was a very nice event. There should always be events like this. It was the topic of our day." dedicate.
Another participant, Naime Çokur, “I found the event very nice. We were very happy and satisfied. Child labor is a problem in Türkiye. The speeches and presentation were very nice. We were very pleased with the information.” used expressions.
Erva Ela Erkeker, a 6th grade student, said that children's place should be with their school and family, "It's really a sad situation. We think our country is a bit behind in this regard. A child's place is with school and his family. Children should solve tests, read books, and draw pictures at home. Why should a child work as a car mechanic, in agriculture, or in industry when he can spend time with his family?" she said.
