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Adventures of Oz: Istanbul is Gig.

(blog entry)
"I spent a lot of the day today trying to avoid all the street kids who try to sell you fake gucci everything the second they learn that you speak english."

Turkey sets the standard on helping street children

Thursday, June 29, 2006
Russia, Romania and Albania are following Turkey’s example on helping children who work on the streets

ANKARA - Turkish Daily News

The system Turkey uses in helping children who work on the streets is being followed by Romania, Russia and Albania, reports said on Tuesday.

While there are efforts in many provinces around the country to rehabilitate and educate these children, the work that goes into it also provides an inspiration for others.

International Labor Organization International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor (ILO/IPEC) Turkey Director Nejat Kocabay said there were national and international affects of the program implemented in Turkey.

He said there were many centers around the country that helped children on the streets, and the efforts by these centers paid national and international dividends.

Kocabay said the program was directed from Switzerland and that officials from there kept a close eye on what was happening in Turkey. He said the services provided for children who work on the streets were now being offered in Romania, Russia and Albania.

"We should be proud. In our efforts, we integrate children’s social environment and many organizations cooperate with us. The model used in Turkey aimed to minimize the time children spend on the streets by providing social, cultural and educational opportunities."

The centers united the efforts of various institutions for the benefit of the children, he said, noting that a combined effort was needed to save the street children.

He said their efforts had produced very good results in Turkey and that was why other countries were also asked to copy it. "However, this does not mean the problem is solved. We have achieved good results, because our efforts are supported by government policies and the Social Services Department."

Temperance group stresses God and country

The New Anatolian / Ankara

‘If the hearts and minds of youth aren’t filled with the values of God, the Prophet Mohammed, patriotism, the flag, history, historical heroes and other national moral values, this vacuum will be filled with the ideas of ill-intentioned people and perverse ideologies,’ reads report

In a new report said to focus on the problems of street children, a Turkish anti-alcohol and tobacco association revealed that it has another axe to grind: the key role of both religion and stemming foreign influence in the salvation of "Muslim and Turkish identity."

The Turkish Green Crescent Association warned in the report released over the weekend that unless the love of "the nation, God and the Prophet" is fostered in the hearts of young people, they will fall victim to the "ill intentions" of certain people and perverse ideologies.

The report is being seen as likely to exacerbate worries of secular sectors of society over the rise in the Islamist tone of associations and public institutions as well as several municipalities of the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party that drew fire when they banned sales of alcohol at municipality facilities.

They also attempted to further restrict the selling and serving of alcoholic beverages in cities in line with an Interior Ministry regulation, thus spurring a debate over individual freedoms.

The debate fueled already-existing suspicions of the hidden Islamist agenda of the AK Party. The suspicions got further support from the alleged Islamization of the discourse of public institutions, where the AK Party is accused of cronyism, such as the state-owned Turkish and Radio Corporation Television (TRT).

Moreover, a leaflet of advice for people planning to get married, released by the AK Party-controlled Ankara Altindag district Municipality, sparked debate in the media and in Parliament over its Islamist and misogynic tone. The report advised young men to "ensure that the woman you marry is clean, religious, honorable, hasn’t been touched by somebody else, has seen no other men besides the one she will marry, and has a good family," adding that men should "throw away a woman who doesn’t wake up early."

Saying that the group has new projects to help street children, the new Turkish Green Crescent report says that psychological support and drug addiction treatment will be provided to these children and they will be sent back to their families after rehabilitation.

However, going beyond the problems of street kids, the report also issues religious- and nationalist-oriented warnings to all Turkish children.

According to the report, children shouldn’t be allowed to play with toys and games from foreign cultures as these would harm their Turkish identity formation. Children should also be taught their national identity and should wear clothes that are compatible with Turkish identity, it urged.

The report argued that one of the factors in the rising number of street children is the moral degeneration of society. "If the hearts and minds of young generations aren’t filled with the values of God, our beloved father the Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him), patriotism, the flag, history, historical figures and other national and moral values, this vacuum will be filled with the ideas of ill-intentioned people and perverse ideologies," warned the report.

Stating that the violent movies have a bad influence on children, the report also criticized the "Matrix" series and similar films for propagating the "atheist line of thought, and the denial of the Holy Creator and destiny." The report also touched upon the risk of AIDS and argued that male circumcision decreases the risk of contracting HIV.

"There are efforts to degenerate our Muslim and Turkish identity, which has lasted for more than 1,000 years, as well as efforts to make Anatolia Christian," claimed the report, adding that Turkish people should protect their national unity like the Japanese.

Mustafa Necati Ozfatura, the group’s head, is known for his columns in daily Turkiye supporting the unity of the Islamic world and warning that Turkey should re-embrace its "national and moral values" to make the Islamic world stronger.