THE SAFETY OF OUR CHILDREN IS OUR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY!

It was reported in the press that a district mufti who taught religious culture at an imam hatip middle school in the Seyitgazi district of Eskişehir harassed a 12-year-old female student by sending her sexual messages. In a similar incident that took place in Şanlıurfa last year, the district mufti harassed a student he taught religious culture, then was released on probation and appointed as the Şanlıurfa Provincial Deputy Mufti. Both incidents reveal the danger that child safety faces and the corruption in our education system. The employment of non-teachers in schools and their teaching of our children is a great risk and an example of irresponsibility.

As CYDD, we would like to emphasize that such incidents are not just individual crimes, but also part of a systematic problem. Similar problems experienced in educational institutions threaten the future of our children, damage their sense of trust and cause them to be psychologically injured. In order to prevent these incidents from happening again, the principles of secular and scientific education that are being distanced from each passing day should be immediately returned; efforts to reach quality and accessible education should be accelerated.

Child safety is of vital importance in terms of protecting their emotional and mental health. It is necessary to ensure the safety of children in every area from family to school, from social environment to digital platforms, and to provide them with a loving, understanding and supportive environment. The prerequisite for an equal and fair future is to ensure child safety. The issue of child safety should be at the center of all the work to be carried out and policies produced in our national education system. Unfortunately, however, the current political power is inadequate in fulfilling this responsibility, and educational institutions are becoming more and more unsafe every day.

As CYDD, we will be closely following this issue in line with our institutional principles. The safety of our children is the responsibility of all of us.

We respectfully announce it to the public.