Agos with students: Media studies with children focusing on their rights

In Turkey, regardless of their cultural or socio-economic backgrounds, sometimes children are neglected by adults or subjected to violence in different levels. Sometimes adults fail to provide an environment for children in which they can freely express themselves without being ridiculed or humiliated, exist with their differences and feel safe. While parents think that getting the newest mobile phone for their children is an expression of caring, the education system evaluates children through academic success by assigning them loads of homework. Sometimes, adults intervene with children’s development as a parent, a teacher or a public official. Instead of standing with them, they act as if children are their most serious enemy. For these very reasons, child’s rights is very important for reminding adults that children have rights.

November 20 is Child’s Rights Day. United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of the Child was signed on November 20, 1989 by 193 countries in order to protect the rights of the children. Turkey signed this convention in 1990 and it came into force in 1995.

Child journalism in Agos

As part of the child journalism project carried by Agos in cooperation with Istanbul Bilgi University 

Child Studies Unit and Department of Media, a child journalism workshop focusing on rights started  in Karagözyan Armenian School. Our child journalists will meet with their readers on our website through “Agos with Children” column.

After the elections, children designed political parties that defend their rights in order to stop the violation of rights.

Children were as confused as the rest of us after the second election on November. “Why did we have a second election?”

I asked children what they think about the elections. How did elections and results affect them?

-Dollar and euro slipped. 

-Does this affect you in any way?

- It does. It affects the amount of money that our parents give us a pocket money. Computers are more expensive now and this means that not every child could a computer.

-They always watch the news, it is boring.

- What can we do?

- We should vote before we are 18.

-Why did we have a second election? Children should have the right of election. We can vote when we are 8 or 10 and defend the rights of babies. Adults can vote for us.

In November, children founded two political parties: Children’s Rights Party and Democratic Children’s Party.

For both parties, rights like playing, nourishment, education and platforms and means to express themselves are the most important ones.

Let’s read them right from the children…

Children’s Right Party

Headline: A happy future with children

Authors: Kris, Alen, Dença, Anna, Lara, Venassa, Dimitri (Karagözyan, 5th grade, 10 years old)

Party’s slogan: A happy future with children

Children’s rights are our rights. It is not a simple issue. Sometimes, people say, “I wish I were a child.” And sometimes we say, “I wish I weren’t a child.” Doing homework is not our sole purpose. We have rights too. For instance, we have a right to play and to see both of our parents if they are separated. And we have many other rights.

Principles of our party are based on the violations of child’s rights.

- Child’s rights

- right to play

- right to fewer homework

- right to technology

- right to vote on the age of 8

- at least 10, at most 100 liras pocket money

- equality and right to have a say

- freedom of opinion

- toys with reasonable prices

- right to protection

- freedom for all children

- NO TO VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN!

- priority of child

- right to shelter

- right to education

- right to have food

Child’s Rights Party is founded because of the following problems that it wishes to solve:

- All children have a right to play.

- Children’s right to be freed from homework is violated.

- Children have a right to benefit from technology.

- Everyone is a child until the ages of 18.

- Pocket money increases gradually.

- Toys are too expensive, children cannot buy them.

- Most of the time, people fail to protect children.

- Children cannot be free because there are too many homework and things to be done. 

- Many children in Turkey are subjected to violence.

- Children’s opinion must be asked first. 

- In Turkey, there are too many homeless children.

- Most children are not able to use the right to education.

- We get cold if we are not properly dressed.

• We cannot live much longer if we don’t eat.

100% Peace, 100% Fun

Deni, Letisya, Tara, Melik, Arden, Mert, Roni

The parents will spend the weekend with their children. 

The children won't be forced into marriages. 

Cars won't be parking on the streets. 

Children will have exclusive vehicles of transportation. 

Children will have their own room. 

Children older than the age of 10 will vote. 

The education system will change:

Courses will be entertaining. There will be fewer homework. There will be no failing the class. We will use iPads during the courses. The school will start later in the morning. Syrian children will receive education. Internet will be free. Taximeters will have different language options so that drivers cannot deceive the refugees. There will be more roads for bicycles. Technological tools will be cheaper. All disabled children have exclusive roads and schools.

Students of Department of Media:

We learn a lot from children, we shouldn't underestimate them

We are working for the project of child journalism focused on rights that is carried in Karagözyan Armeian School with the support of Agos. Our purpose is to increase the participation of children in media and help them to express themsevles through the news reports focused on their demand of rights. Knowing that Agos supports this project and their reports will be published in a newspaper motivated them even more.

Every week in Karagözyan

Before the project, we attended workshops on child's rights, communicating with children, making children write news reports and examples of child journalism for 5 days. Then, we invited the children who will take part in the project to the university and made teamworks and play games with them. After the training, we started the project in Karagözyan.

They asked why they don't have the right to vote and they said that they want to vote. They tought about why there is no political party consisting of children and they emphasized that they need a party to talk about the child's right. Then, they formed two groups in order to found political parties. Their party principles show that they are interested in the current problems and they are aware of the importance of the child's right; it was impressive. As adults, we understood that we have to respect children's opinions and they want to express their ideas. We learn a lot from them and they once again proved that we shouldn't underestiamte them. 

This project is supported by the Danish Foreign Office.