The Özne Çocuk Project, dedicated to protecting children’s rights in Türkiye and enhancing the quality of child protection services, successfully concluded with a closing conference held in Ankara on October 31, 2024.
Our project successfully concluded with a closing conference held in Ankara on October 31, 2024. The conference marked the end of this three-year initiative, which aimed to raise awareness on improving the quality of childcare services and preventing child labour through its four main components. Civil society organizations, public institutions, and other stakeholders active in the field of children’s rights attended the event.
Opening remarks were delivered by Barbaros Murat Köse, Head of the Central Finance and Contracts Unit, Ministry of Treasury and Finance of the Republic of Türkiye; Jean M.R. Barbe, Delegation of the European Union to Türkiye, Head of Section; Civil Society, Fundamental Rights, Judiciary and Home Affairs; Faruk Özçelik, Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Security; Ambassador Mehmet Kemal Bozay, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Director for EU Affairs; and Leman Yenigün, Deputy Minister of Family and Social Services. In their speeches, they highlighted the project’s contributions to child rights and protection systems in Türkiye.
Following the opening remarks, Project Team Leader Robert Kroiss presented the project’s outcomes and achievements over the three-year implementation period. Within the project’s scope, activities were organized to enhance child protection services, combat child labour, and provide training specifically targeting children under vulnerable conditions.
A panel on “Child Rights and Child Protection Services” was also held as part of the closing conference. Moderated by Project’s Training Key Expert Tarık Tuncay, the panel featured Bayram İnce, Head of the Quality and Service Planning Department at the Ministry of Family and Social Services; Prof. Dr. Esra Çalık Var and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Semih Ceyhan from Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University, who shared insights on advancing child protection services and strengthening children’s rights.
During the “Psychosocial Support Model” working group session in the afternoon, project expert Assoc. Prof. Dr. Saadettin Burak Açıkel and the representatives from civil society and public sectors reviewed the model developed under the project, sharing their perspectives. Following this, project experts Assoc. Prof. Dr. Harun Aslan and Rumeysa Bozdemir presented information on the Integrated Care Guidelines developed within the project, gathering feedback from participants.
The project has made significant strides in strengthening children’s access to their rights, improving childcare services, and effectively combating child labour across Türkiye. Its outcomes were shared with relevant stakeholders, leading to recommendations for policies and strategies that can be applied in the future.
