IHD (Human Rights Association) Amed Branch held a press briefing in front of Uğur Kaymaz Statue on the occasion of April 23 Turkish National Sovereignty and Children's Day.

Carrying photographs of the children murdered by the Turkish state, a number of human rights defenders and representatives of NGOs attended the press briefing in which IHD drew attention to the violations of children's rights in Turkey and North Kurdistan.

Speaking here, IHD General Vice-President and Amed Branch Chair Raci Bilici stressed that; “Looking at the murder of children up to date, we see that April 23 isn't a day presented to the children of Kurdistan.”

remarking that the conflict environment has claimed the life of 585 children, Bilici said that; “These children were deliberately targeted and murdered by the security forces of this territory, while hundreds of others are living out in the streets. This is the true face and shame of the state. We can accept April 23 only when children are released from prison, not murdered, receive mother-tongue education and lead a free life with their culture and traditions, when their rights are not violated, and when mothers do not bury their children.”

585 children killed by the state

Reading the press release after Bilici's speech, IHD Amed Branch Children's Commission member Lawyer Mahsun Kaya remarked that children continued suffering from violation of their right to life, physical and psychological violence, sexual abuse, exploitation of labor and many other problems in various categories.

Stating that 8 million 500 children led their lives as 'worker' under unsecured conditions, Kaya said that; "Education in mother tongue and on religious belief is still banned. Children in prison are being treated as if adults and subjected to unjust punishments. Child brides, child workers, child victims of migration are still being denied the right to live."

Kaya noted that according to the data gathered by IHD, 585 children lost their lives as a result of intervention by security forces and explosion of mines and remains of war in Turkey and Kurdistan in the last 27 years.

According to the figures announced by Kaya, 444 children were detained and among them 106 were remanded in custody in relation of mass demonstrations during 2014, while numerous suffered torture and ill-treatment in and outside the places of detention. 3 children lost their lives and 7 were injured and as a result of domestic and outdoor violence, 17 were subject to sexual abuse. 12 committed suicide, and 8 others attempted.

In the first 3 months of 2015, 3 children were killed and 5 others were injured. 3 suffered sexual abuse, 11 committed suicide and 872 were blacklisted.

Kaya stressed that the lack of social policies and constitutional guarantee to protect the children's rights was the key reason for the experienced violations of children's right, and called on Turkey to fulfill the requirements of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Children to which it is a party.