Isil Bulut,

 

Baskent University, Health Sciences Faculty, Director of Social Work Department, Ankara, Turkey

This is a panel about the abused and neglected children, street children, working children, their rights and their families.

 

Edmond McLoughney

UNICEF Representative in Turkey

 

The successful family does not happen by accident. Just as any professional or technical person needs training for what they do, so do parents need training to bring up their children and to help them to develop to their fullest potential.

 

There are 1.5 million babies born in Turkey every year which means there are at least about 3 million parents experiencing the happiness of the new born - many of them for the first time.

 

To ensure the best possible start in life for these babies, the parents need a minimum amount of knowledge and skills. UNICEF is working with the government and other partners to bring a set of key messages to parents to ensure that their children are protected against diseases and that their physical care, nutrition and wellbeing is optimal. Equally important is the stimulation of the young child for cognitive and psychosocial development.

 

The challenge is how to deliver these key messages in a way that parents can absorb and practice them. This presents a major communication challenge to the institutions and agencies which are responsible for message delivery. Decisions must be made on formal or non-formal education settings; interpersonal channels, such as health workers or community leaders; or small media such as videos, posters and brochures; or mass media. Apart from the parents, other family members such as grandparents and siblings can be very much involved in a child’s upbringing and also need to be empowered to support the young child’s development.

 

Supporting the families as a whole in giving children the best start in life, so that they survive and thrive, will also lay the foundation for fulfilling all other child rights.