Measure to save children from working in streets found ‘insufficient’

A recent resolution issued by the İstanbul Police Department and approved by the İstanbul Governor’s Office to fine individuals who purchase items from children working in the streets seems to have aimed to eliminate this dilemma from the minds of undecided individuals. Buying things from street children now carries a fine of TL 118. But many children’s rights defenders find the move good-intentioned but insufficient to keep children from working in the streets, stressing the importance of addressing the financial problems that force them and their families into the streets to eke out a living in the first place.

The resolution, among a series of other resolutions issued by the İstanbul Police Department to “protect children who are subjected to the dangers of the streets, their continuation of education in a healthy manner and the settlement of public safety,” came into effect in accordance with Article 32 of the Misdemeanor Law.

“The aim of this decision is to ensure that children who are forced to work or beg in the streets live in a safe and peaceful environment; that their psychical, spiritual and moral developments are not interrupted; that they receive all the necessary education and become individuals who are beneficial to society,” a statement from the İstanbul Police Department said.

Although he finds this measure well-intentioned, human rights group Şefkat-Der President Hayrettin Bulan said it was a deficient ruling that does not line up with the realities of life. He pointed out for the need to address the financial problems of the families of children working in the streets.

“Those children do not work in the streets for fun. Their situations need to be examined. This problem is not one that can be resolved by imposing fines on individuals buying things from them. Certain organizations provide aid to families in need, but they are not sufficient. This is a fact. The first thing to be done is to address underlying problems. Have you seen any families with a good income allow their children to work in the streets? While rich families hold joyful birthday celebrations for their children, families in need cannot even buy new clothes for theirs. The authorities should work to provide more balanced living standards to those families in need of financial aid,” he explained.

Bulan also noted that children of needy families, those who have lost their father or have an ill mother feel obliged to work in the streets to contribute to the family budget. “Who would willingly sell paper tissues in the freezing cold in the streets?” asked Bulan.

According to Fatma Başar, head of the children’s rights committee at the İstanbul Bar Association, the measure taken by the İstanbul Police Department is insufficient to end the problem of children working in the streets. She says the state should take more concrete measures to save these children and take care of them.

Citing an article from the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Turkey is a signatory, Başar told Sunday’s Zaman that the convention defines a child as any human being under the age of 18 and stipulates that the state must take care of children when their parents or guardians fail to do so.

“The state has to take care of these children, under Article 90 of our Constitution, which is about Turkey’s ratification of this convention,” she remarked.

There are 250 million working children in the world, 1.6 million of which are in Turkey, according to data from the Turkish Statistics Institute (TurkStat), but the number of working children in the streets cannot be measured because their number is increasing constantly.

Ferhat Şahin, vice chairman of the Children of Hope Association, who himself spent 11 years in the streets, is also among those who find the move “insufficient.” Complaining about similar measures taken in the past, he recalled that a fine had been imposed on families who forced their children to work, but this did little to change things around.

He warned that this measure may prevent children from selling things in the streets but it has the potential to urge them to engage in burglary to find the money they need.

“Taking such measures does not help. Measures should be aimed to address the financial problems facing these children,” he added.