Tag: childombudsman

The paper provides an overview and analysis of the initial steps for the establishment
process of a separate children‟s ombudsman in Turkey. It examines the legal, political and social
reasons why an ombudsman for children would be needed in the country. Specifically, it analyses
Turkey‟s legal framework and international obligations, concluding that lack of implementation of the law and monitoring of children‟s rights are the main challenges. Children have disproportionately
high rates of poverty, and are often victims of various forms of violence, in particular girls. The
political structure of the country is affected by significant tensions, especially with regard to the place of religion in the public sphere. Moreover, civil society is quite weak. A law for a general ombudsman has been adopted by the Turkish Grand National Assembly but recently cancelled by the
Constitutional Court. The paper analyses the possible reasons for the stalemate and looks at the text of
the law from a child rights perspective. Drawing lessons from the foregoing, the study assesses the
goals, risks and opportunities of the establishment process. It focuses on the need to build consensus
on the objectives of the institution, ensure its independence, and implement the establishment process with the participation of key actors, including children.why an ombudsman for children would be needed in the country